The Ultimate Zelda Challenge
by ACEAMC
Summary: 3 months. 25 years. 16 games  CD-I games not in the lexicon . 25 poems/ short stories. Many Ideas. One author to tie them togeather. Zelda fans, do we have what it takes to tribute our favorite game series? I CAN'T HEAR YOU! DO WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!
1. Opening Speech

The Ultimate Zelda Challenge: Celebrating 25 Years of Awesome.

In case you can't tell, I freaking LOVE the Zelda series; I even one day hope to work on the Zelda team if I play my cards right. Now this entire year has been one long celebration of Zelda awesomeness after 25 years of making games of epic proportions. I did my part by making the theme of my Creative Writing Final the series as a whole, gathering enough inspiration to write four poems and a short story based on the series and individual games and to get a well-deserved A on my assignment. But I've decided to go one step further than that: I've decided to write twenty more poems and/or short stories and include them with my original five, thus bringing the count to Twenty-five chapters, plus this one. I've got a few ideas, but certainly not enough for all twenty entries. And that's where you come in.

Anyone reading this is invited to send in an idea for a story or a poem in the reply section. Ideally, these ideas would be single sentinces, describing the following

If it's a poem or a short story.

What type of poem it is/ what perspective the story is told in.

When/where the story or poem is set.

The theme/tone/focus of the story or poem.

Any other details you feel the need to include.

As a principle, these requests will come in fast, so formulate your idea well before sending it in. I will pick requests based on how compelling the idea is, not how early the request is sent. However, I plan on finishing this series before _The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword_ is released in the United States; that is, before November 20. So while it is important to bring forth clever ideas, submit them preferably before Halloween Night 2011. I look forward to seeing your submissions, fellow fans.


	2. The Princess and the Ninja

**The Princess and the Ninja**

_{Authors note: This is the first poem I wrote for my final. It is a diamante, a poem that describes two opposites across from each other; the first half for one thing and the last half for its opposite. ALWAYS very short. This one is set in OOT, and the focus should be clear in the title.}_

Zelda,

Emotional, Regal,

Planning, Thinking, Hiding,

Effeminate, Familiar, Mysterious, Masculine,

Traveling, Teaching, Helping,

Practical, Reserved,

Sheik.


	3. Ghirahim's Inside Story

**Memoirs of a Mystery Wrapped in an Enigma Covered in Fashionable Diamonds!**

_ {Author's note: This was the short story I wrote for the final. It is from the perspective of Demon Lord Ghirahim, of Skyward Sword fame, after GDC but before E3 2011. He's portrayed as an animated actor waiting for his big debut in the real world, awaiting his fan base and giving his back-story as best he can. It's hilarious in hindsight in that his voice in-story is much like how he speaks in-game, despite the fact that I wrote this before he even HAD dialogue.}_

I'm getting tired of keeping my mouth shut. I really am. I have crowds of adoring fans who know nothing about me as a person, as a character, or even as a plot device; they even slapped a girl's name on me because my creators would not release my name yet. I'm counting down the days until June 8th, 2011: The Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3 for short. Maybe they'll release my name or other tangible details, maybe they won't, but I know two things for sure: Nintendo will give fans the release date for our game at E3 and there's zero possibility that any more details on me or Skyward Sword will be released until then. This has been normal for me since I was born, so to speak, at a dreary Monday meeting in Nintendo Headquarters, Kyoto, several months before that dreadful earthquake. Wait and hope; patience is a virtue.

I can't tell you who presented me in concept or why it was necessary; or even who drew the first concept sketch, but I can tell you that I was the cutest little doodle on a stained napkin you could ever hope to see. Eiji Aonuma approved of the concept of my existence and I was sent off to be designed, fleshed out as a character, and animated, formally giving me existence and making me the character I am today. It's a rather clean process that thrives on compromise, practicality and detail; much like how a normal, functional human comes into their own from childhood into maturity, only much faster and less resistance on my part near the final stages.

Finally, once I was fully formed the Zelda team integrated me into the hardware of the game to fulfill my purpose, which Nintendo has not given me permission to release in this paper. The first day of official work for me was a short cut scene; you may have seen part of it in the GDC trailer. This was where I met Link, the real protagonist of our game and every Zelda game before ours. Off screen we're actually very good friends, often gossiping about other games and our own while the animators and programmers took time off for coffee or lunch (once again, I'm not allowed to divulge our relationship in-game, company policy.) Over time I met other sprites and characters working on SS, many of whom differed from their in-game personalities considerably, others fitting their roles perfectly, but all of us were dutiful to the process of being encoded and giddy for the day when the fist hard-copy would be mass-produced into our collective Magnum Opus.

But that wasn't the end of our work, not by a long shot. We were shipped form one nation to another for the localization process. Ever try learning a language in under two months? Try learning three separate languages in written form only in that timeframe. Link and Zelda were used to the process, though even they didn't enjoy it. The rest of us found it complicated on a good day and frustrating on a bad day; we had more bad days than good. Some of my wittiest lines were dumbed down to pell-mell tripe in the French version of the game. You'll see.

And finally, the ultimate test for our work: game testing. This wouldn't be too bad if the testers themselves didn't just take the jobs so they could gloat about playing the hottest games firsthand or for getting through college without doing any work deemed "uncool". Granted, some testers actually cared about the process of game-making and tried their hardest to seek out any harmful glitches before the public ran into them en masse, but for every one tester who did their job right five barely did their job at all, leaving behind a few glitches that may either prove useful, enjoyable or disastrous when all is said and done.

Finally, our hard work is being encoded into disks across the world, ready to be popped into a prepared disk box with a fancy cover and a helpful miniature game-guide. It's been no bed of roses; I'll admit that much, but the few "leaks" and show casings of our work have made it all worth it. I could barely stay still during last year's E3 showcasing of SS. True; it was more a chance to show off the game mechanics and new art style employed in the game, and it was Link's time to shine, not mine, but still any hype for our game is good hype in my opinion.

The GDC trailer, now that was on a whole 'nother plane of excitement for me. The theatrics of the trailer, the Hollywood-inspired Background music with Zelda's lullaby of all things blaring in reverse for subliminal fanfare, and of course the debut of several new aspects to the game, among them me. I swear I could hear fans cheer and murmur approval around the world when I appeared for the first time, atop a robotic monster of gold, grinning all too familiarly at the audience. Many took that to mean I was an antagonistic character, and perhaps they're right; that's one of those things I can't divulge to the public just yet. But just thinking how they gasped when they saw my petty disappearing act near the finale of the trailer always makes me proud of how far I've come. I'll have to thank Midna for teaching me that trick when I go back to Kyoto in a few months for our Japanese release. What, you thought I've only met characters from my game without occasionally consulting with my seniors? How foolish.

And so again I am to wait on baited breath, for my next possible chance to shine. Whatever E3 brings, I know I have fulfilled by destiny. For good or evil within the game, I have attracted fans to our game with the mystery I am both forced and compelled to shroud myself in. I am . . . ugh, not allowed to tell you that . . . just, just call me Debbie. I'm fine with that, really. My name doesn't really matter until my creators decide it does, which I know will be soon. Remember to watch E3, especially the Nintendo showing, and do at least consider renting a copy of _The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword_ when it's released. It really it a good game, and I know what I'm talking about.


	4. Shadow land, Golden land

**Shadow land, Golden land.**

_{Author's Note: this is a free-verse for my final cataloguing Midna's journey in Twilight Princess and her development as a character in the rhythm of her theme. Could count as a songfic, depending on your interpretation.}_

Shadow land, Golden land,

Tainted by magic impure,

I can't help but think, there's nothing I can do.

Snarling beast, once a man,

I'll help you if you help me,

You may have lost your friends, but I've lost everything.

Old magic, Dark magic,

It's a danger, but I'm sure,

With your blade and my brilliant plan, we can't fail.

The way home, a mirror,

Shattered by his evil hands,

We'll gather up the pieces and save my kingdom.

Monsters slain, Lives are lost,

We all struggled and survived,

Am I so beautiful that you have no words left?


	5. The Same Old Story

The Same Old Story.

_{Author's Note: I really wanted to do a poem or short story referencing the repetitive nature of Link's heroics and the plights that befall him, Zelda, and Hyrule as a whole. This is a six-word story, like Hemmingway's "For sale, baby's shoes. Never worn." So please mind its briefness.}_

Hello Zelda, Hyrule needs me. Again.


	6. Lost Friend

**Lost Friend**

{Author's Note: The Idea for this poem came in from ShiekahGal, who suggested several poems and will likely suggest more. I hope more people send in ideas; I'm excited to see what you think. This is a haiku in honor of Saria, the perfect character for a type of poem known for its theme of the beauty of nature.}

Daughter of Nature,

Forest green and beastly heart

Lead his way in song.


	7. Drowning the Past

**Drowning the Past**

_{Author's Note: This is a Pantoun I wrote for my final; Pantoun's are by their nature repetitive so I'm not a big fan of them. I am, however, a big fan of The Wind Waker; thus I have made it the subject of my poem. I actually think the repetitiveness helps this particular poem.}_

When the Kingdom was lost in an ethereal flood,

A great evil emerged, and plotted his revenge,

An island of survivors carries the Legend

A hero, cloaked in a green tunic, will return,

A great evil emerged, and plotted his revenge,

Stealing daughters and sisters, pointed ears only,

A hero, cloaked in a green tunic, will return,

Stopping at nothing to save his kidnapped sister,

Stealing daughters and sisters, pointed ears only,

He seeks out the Princess, disguised as a Pirate,

Stopping at nothing to save his kidnapped sister,

The boy will fight, not for the kingdom, but for them.

He seeks out the Princess, disguised as a Pirate,

When the Kingdom was lost in an ethereal flood,

The boy will fight, not for the kingdom, but for them.

An island of survivors carries the Legend.


	8. The Girl

**The Girl.**

_{Author's Note: I wanted to do a line poem about the games from the first game ever made to the most recent one, but Ben (Hopefully not THAT Ben), sent me a review of several possible relationships between Link and Zelda and his opinion on them. I met in the middle and the results can be found below.}_

The Girl whose name means "Woman Warrior" or "Delta"

The Girl who married a writer in the 1920's

The Girl a little Japanese boy thought of, while walking in the woods.

The girl he started a franchise with.

The Girl I've never met before, but must save anyway,

The Girl from _Sleeping Beauty_

The Girl caught in the shadow realm,

The Girl I see in my dreams (and sometimes nightmares)

The Girl protecting the Oracles,

The Girl who shares my distaste for CD-I (and the Duck-Walk).

The Girl who put the "She" in "Sheikah",

The Girl who runs tutorials in my memories,

The Girl who kicked the king of evil in the head,

The Girl I'm literally and figuratively beside myself over,

The Girl who turned into stone (Twice!)

The Girl living inside my snarky sidekick.

The Girl who leads the pirates,

The Girl whose ghost haunts and helps me find her sacred body,

The girl who jumps off cliffs . . . and rightly trusts me to catch her.

She's a Warrior, She's a Prize, She's a Princess, She's a Friend.

She's Zelda.

Not me.

My name is Link, L-I-N-K.

Are we clear on that?


	9. The Legend of Zelda:TFF

**The Legend of Zelda:**

**The Fair Folk.**

_{Author's Note: this is one of the biggest ideas for Zelda I could ever dream of; an entire game I one day hope to see shelves. I'm only going to write about the opening of the game, told completely from the perspective of the game's sidekick, Puck. Yes, THAT PUCK. This game would have heavy inspiration from _A Midsummer's Night's Dream_, ancient beliefs on the fair folk and gratuitous amounts of Celtic and Norse culture. Navi these fairies are not.} _

The air is still here, and even in the midday sun I feel cold. I've never been to this part of the woods before; I know for certain I'm lost, but there's not a chance I'll say it. I land on a stick as thick as a sparrow's leg, "Oberon, I found something neat!" I call out, hoping desperately he's somewhere out here. "This place is . . . familiar . . ." I trail off as I looked around. Blackthorn trees everywhere, almost like a natural fence; a clearing where the air is stagnant, and . . . a giant granite block . . . surrounded by a fairy ring as big as a grown human!

"Unseelie's Keep!" I take to my wings and begin to fly away; I don't even care where I'm going! But I don't get above the tops of the trees before I stop, sigh and think. "How many years has it been? I barely remember this place," I turn back and look at the stone, "why; I barely remember what an unseelie looks like!" I chuckle and float down towards the rock, "It must have been, what, three-thousand years now? Anything that's been down there for so long has probably starved to death." I step into the fairy ring and feel the small grooves in the stone, Oberon's handwriting, warn from centuries of rain and snow. "I imagine these enchantments are just for show these days, this stone could topple any day now." A faint thought flashes though my mind as I think of all I've said, "If the Unseelie are dead, and this stone falls over, I wonder what we'd find down there? Unseelie were known for their treasure hoards, after all," I look around and get into a deep stance, "I'll need Oberon if the treasure get's too heavy, but I think I have _juuuuuusst_ enough magic left to lift this old block." I take a deep breath, drawing energy from the grass and trees, and begin work.

I groan as the energy I exert tips the block further and further to the side. Turns out I was wrong; Oberon's golden magic still holds the block fairly steady after all these years. Still, it's been weakened with age and with one final pulse of purple the old rock falls. Cold air flows from the gap in the earth uncovered by my work, it stirs the grass and the flimsy edges of my wings ominously. Oh dear, what if I was wrong? I look down into the hole and call faintly, "hello? Anybody down there?" deafening silence followed. "I guess they really are dead. Oberon'll be glad for that." I turn to fly away, when suddenly,

"_Hello, Seelie."_ I turn to ice and run back towards the hole, and I hope against hope it was just the wind. I look down over the edge, where old crumbling dirt falls into the darkness. And then I see a pair of bright red eyes. Then two, then two-hundred. I scream and frantically try to tug the slab back into place as the horde of red eyes nears the surface of the chasm. But it's no use; I've gone through the majority of my magic just moving that thing! The first of the Unseelie reach the surface and makes a hungry grab for me, and out of reflex I use the last of my magic to knock it back into the hole and fly up as high as I can. Thank the goddesses of old these gangly brutes can't fly! I look down and see them climb effortlessly over the blackthorns and into the woods; I look towards the west, and the edge of the forest I see Oberon's castle, an oak dominating the treetops. "He's gonna kill me when he finds out this is all my fault." I wonder which is worse, watching your kingdom be torn apart by abominations, or having your own king brutally punish you for a stupid mistake! "I could warn everyone, and help them escape only to be punished after," I turn towards the East, where the humans live, "or maybe, if I hurry, I can establish an alibi in the human settlements." My decision is instant: to Hyrule it is.

I arrive in Castle Town just before nightfall, like I have every other day for six months. Castle Town is the best city to prank, since the people get so worked up over it. Often I'll leave the town only after I've gotten several guards to chase me away like the clumsy oafs in mail they are. But tonight I can't afford to see my pranks; I have to work fast and be as obvious as possible. I slip into a crack in the nearest house and grab a jar of glue. I love this prank; I find a bowl of milk set out for a cat, lap up the milk myself, and replace what I've drank with the glue. The milk restores a bit of my magic and the cats' tongues stick to their upper lips. Next I head over to the cuccoo rookery and stir the birds with a few bites to the calves. I usually lose a few teeth from this one but they can be replaced; unlike the look on the cuccoo tender's face when his birds turn on him! I take a pound of butter and spread it on the guard's usual routes and watch as they slip and slide all over themselves. This is going great, but I need something more, something to tip the scales: I need to prank the princess. And look, there she is in the tower of the castle . . . with some sort of guard. He's young, but he's got a sword so he must at least know how to fight. Oh, this will be fun indeed.

I grab a bucket of water and fly up as high as I can, so fast they can't really see me. I wait a moment for them to look for me before dump the whole bucket on Princess Zelda, thoroughly soaking both her and her little guard. And just before they recover enough to see me I have another flash of brilliance, I dive-bomb the boy and grab his hat and fly towards the woods, slow enough that I know I'll be followed. And I surely am . . . by the princess and her guard. Hmm, not as planned, but I'll take it! I just need someone to make enough of a ruckus about what I've done to confirm I've been in Hyrule the whole time I've been gone. At the edge of the woods I drop the boy's hat and fly deep into the undergrowth, hoping no Unseelie decide to snatch me up. I see the princess and the boy catch up to the hat, still dripping wet and furious. The boy grabs his hat and . . . unsheathes his sword . . . and he runs into the woods with the princess in tow. Great, what've I done now? These woods are full of bloodthirsty goblins and two small human children, one of whom a princess, and it's all my fault! I've got to get them out of here.

I pull out all the stops making ghosts and beasts appear in the deeper shadows of the woods; but whenever they seem close to the edge of the forest, a thick hedge would appear from nowhere or a rat would appear from behind a tree and push the princess deeper into the woods.

Eventually I run out of magic and have no choice but to follow them as they go deeper into the woods. They stop in a clearing; not far from Unseelie's Keep, now that I think of it, and rest under an alder tree. Zelda nods off, and despite his efforts the little knight falls asleep as well. I should just go down there, wake them up and tell them to their faces that they're in grave danger, consequences be damned. Something slams into me, sending me falling into the ground. An Unseelie pins me to the ground, his rancid breath fills my nostrils as he speaks, "We can never thank you enough, brother. Freeing us, bringing us the ideal sacrifice," Zelda's screams fill my ears, mixed with the cackling of other Unseelie, "oh yes, our king will be so pleased. You can come with us, of course. Our lord will be most pleased, even if you have served his brother for who knows how long." He grabs one of my wings and pulls it towards his mouth, "Of course, we'll have to get rid of _these."_ Before he can bite me I hear a crashing noise and I go flying into the base of an oak tree. I shake off my dizziness to see that a badger had spotted the Unseelie and decided to make an easy meal of him, and that tossing me out of its grip was an unintended consequence. I make a note to find the badger later and repay it before flying off after Zelda and/or the boy. As I fly towards the boys raging shrieks and growls I take note of the path of destruction in his wake: Slashed tree limbs, trampled grass, even an Unseelie cleaved in half!

Come to think of it, didn't he have a blade made of steel with him? It seems this problem is beginning to resolve itself. All he needs is my hand to point him in the right direction. I calmly fly overhead towards an ash and alight one of its branches, waiting for him to crash into the clearing. He doesn't look up at first; in fact, he looks in all directions but up so desperate is he to find his princess. "You're in an awful big hurry, for someone who has no idea where he's going." I finally say. He looks up at me and, possibly thinking I'm an Unseelie, possibly just angry that my pranks have gotten him into this mess, he draws his sword. "Hey, hey, take it easy." I glide down to the young warrior's eye level, "I'll admit this prank has gone badly for all involved, but believe me when I say I wish your princess no ill will. In fact, since I pity you some, I'll help you find her." His deep blue eyes burn into mine, at least they would if his eyes could see them; but he slowly sheaths his sword. "Excellent. I am Puck, loyal servant of King Oberon: Lord of The Fair Folk."

"Link; of the Hyrulian Royal Guard." The boy said it so quietly even my sensitive ears could barely hear him, "How are you going to help me find Zelda?" It's a wonder anyone can hear him at all!

"Link, how familiar . . ." I allow my thought to come out before responding, "Anyways, the creatures that took your princess are powerful, and very cruel. I know of only one being who has ever fought all of them and lived to tell the tale; and that would be my king, three thousand years ago." I smiled at the memory, I was barely a speck of dust in the wind when Oberon had won his epic victory over his unseelie brother and thus became the King of The Fair Folk. Link's anger and frustration was suddenly channeled into a wave of what I can only describe as blind determination. Finally speaking loud enough that another human could possibly hear him, he replied:

"Take me to him. Now."

I've never seen a human that could match my speed as well as Link! Even as he runs at top speed behind me, barely avoiding the weeds and fallen trees threatening to trip him, he still begs me to go faster and faster. Within what I can only assume to be the space of ten minutes we arrive at the edge of the vast rosebush that has protected our kingdom from man and beast for countless centuries. "On the other side of this rosebush lies the city of Tir na Mell: fairy capitol of the world." Before I could think straight he dashed towards the emerald roses. It was all I could do to catch his tunic before he slammed into the roses, "You didn't tell me you had a death wish!" he thrashed towards the bushes relentlessly, "But you just said Oberon was in there!"

"But Link, these bushes are taller than you!" He finally stops struggling and I yank him back a bit, "Besides, the bushes are a mile thick all around. Not even mice can get through that razor-wire." He stared at the green roses for so long I thought he was going to ask why they were green. "How do fairies get through?" he asked instead, a bit to my relief.

"Well duh," I replied, letting my wings flutter in front of my face, "Although I doubt I'd get enough lift to carry you across as big as you are." Just saying that gave me an idea, "however, if you were a bit smaller carrying you over would be a breeze." I summoned just enough magic to envelop Link and carefully worked at making him smaller and smaller without making his organs too big or making him too smallfor his clothes. As a final touch I dimmed my aura enough that I would be visible when I landed next to him. He yelped when he saw me and reached for his sword. I laughed at this gesture, "I guess this isn't what you expected when you thought of fairies up-close, huh?"

"Well I didn't expect six-inch fingers, razor-sharp teeth and keese-like faces, if that's what you're asking!" he let go of the sword and looked back at the roses, then back at me, "and you promise you're not going to eat me on the other side?"

"I swear on my life; Now give me your hands." He shuddered as my fingers wrapped around his hands, _twice_, before I took to the air over the rosebushes.

I'll admit Link was a bit on the heavy side for a fairy, and that we almost crashed into the thorns once, but in no time at all we made it to the other side. "While we're inside I'm going to leave you this size, kinda don't want you squishing buildings and stuff." Of course Link wasn't listening, he was to wrapped up in the city itself: thousands of fairies flying this way and that, buildings made of plants and holes in the grounds, roadways paved with glowing pebbles and in the middle of it all an ancient oak tree with a trunk so high he couldn't see the top.

"Anyways, we don't want to keep Oberon waiting, especially since there's a life on the line." I calmly fly towards the tree, causing Link to come to his senses and follow me.

"Care to explain where you've been?" Ugh, not her, any fairy but that old bag of dust!

"Don't be so suspicious Navi; I've merely been playing pranks in Hyrule." It's for the best I leave out all the other details, she's enough of a nag as-is, "I need to speak to Oberon, immediately."

"Sorry, but Oberon has no time for games today. He's wrapped up in a serious matter that YOU should have been here for!"

"Oh yeah, and where's Titiana? Shouldn't you be shouting orders at her instead of at me?"

"Typical of you modern fairies: it's all _me, me, me_! I remember a time when fairies were selfless, helpful, and actually pulled their own weight instead of oafing around and playing pranks on people!"

"Translation: a time when fairies bored and annoyed humans to the brink of insanity." Link chuckled and stepped out of the doorway a bit more (pretty sure Navi's hideous face scared him again.)

"Anyways, Tatiana is out and Oberon's in no mood for jokes, so I suggest you take your slimy little butt and-" Navi's eyes popped wide open midsentence as she gaped over my right shoulder, "Link . . . Link, is that you?" I look back at Link, who clearly realizes how crazy she truly is, and then did a double take at both, "_You know him?_"

"Well . . . uh anyways, you wanted to see Oberon?" she said the last part as quickly as possible.

"Yeah, we need to see Oberon as soon as possible."

"Right, follow me please." Navi paced through the familiar hallways leading upwards towards Oberon's private chambers, while Link and I followed, still very confused. Link looked at me as if to say 'but I swear I've never seen her before!'

"Navi must be going senile." I finally decide once we make it up to Oberon's chambers.

"Well, here it is." Navi ran down the stairs behind us and called back, "Puck, you be careful with him!"

"Well excuse me Navi," I shoved Oberon's door open, "I don't need a whiny has-been telling me how to treat my king. Good evening Oberon!"

Oberon stood in front of a giant knothole in the wood, looking out over all of Tir na Mell. He looked back at us once then resumed his staring, "Hello Puck. And guest."

"Oberon, I don't know how but the Unseelie got out and kidnapped Princess Zelda and-"

"I know."Oberon sighed and turned towards us, his golden and green features seeming much older now than they normally are, "I should have seen this day coming, the day my enchantments on Unseelie's keep would fade. I'm such a fool."

"Hey, hey, it's not over yet!" I fly over to him, "You're still more powerful than them, and you can always trick them back over there and put new enchantments on the stone."

"Puck, they **broke** the stone." My blood turns to ice, "Besides, what use is it. It's been a long time since I've seen the scale of war I saw the day I imprisoned my brother's forces. I'm old, how can I repeat the feats I have done before now?" he turned and caught sight of Link, and Link's sword.

"Perhaps I don't have to." He flew over to him, "Tell me Puck, where did you find this boy, and why did you bring him to my kingdom?"

"Link's from the castle, one of Zelda's trusted guards from what I gather. He wants to save her badly."

"Hmm, is that so," Oberon kneeled down to Link's level, "Would you really be willing to do anything to save Zelda?"

Link nodded without hesitation.

"Very well then. The creatures that I speak of, **The Unseelie** are an evil version of our kind. Long ago they ravaged the land, led by my cruel younger brother: **Brathadair.** I raised an army of my own to fight him and his men, eventually slaying him and driving the unseelie back into the Earth and sealing them for thousands of years. Somehow they have escaped, and decimated the one thing holding them back: The Seelie's Stone. I believe it's been broken into five pieces and placed in The Five Temples of Nature: Water, Earth, Fire, Air, and Life." Oberon pulled out a map and handed it to Link, "These temples can be found nearby on a lake, in a deep chasm, inside a collapsed volcano, on the edge of a cliff and deep within a bog; respectively. I know it's not much in the way of finding Zelda or stopping the unseelie, but it is the first step to putting things right. Go to these temples, and hurry." Link ran out the door the second Oberon told him to, without even checking the map. I began to wonder if this was such a good idea.

"Isn't it a little dangerous to send a mortal boy alone to find magic pieces of stone in magic temples, when he himself has no magic?" I wondered out loud.

'Hmm, true. These forests are pretty hard to traverse without at least some magical skill," he turned towards me and smiled, "Puck, go with him."

"What!" I replied in a tone too incredulous for a servant, "But- but I'm a jester not a fighter!"

"I know, but you have magic and you know Link better than anyone else I could think of."

"Except maybe Navi." I muttered.

"Please Puck, do this for your King. Help this boy survive his quest." I took a deep breath and flew after him, "If I die, Navi has to stay away from my funeral. Deal?"

"Deal. Also, keep an eye out for Titiana, she's been near Glassmore Lake recently. Now hurry already!"

I caught Link outside buying a simple shield from a vender, not the worst thing he could be doing in a fairy city but still a very odd sight. "Oberon wanted me to come with you. He says you need some magic to get through the temples and the woods." I laid down ten rupees for a bottle of milk and chugged it down as we walked towards the southeastern part of town, towards Glassmore Lake and the Water temple. When we got to the rosebush I picked up Link again, "I'm not one for repeating myself, so listen up. When Oberon mentioned that The Unseelie are an evil version of us, he meant they're inherently evil. Unseelie use blood magic: meaning they have to constantly kill to perform any form of magic." Link shuddered, "But that doesn't mean they've killed Zelda; after all, if they wanted to kill her they would have killed you both in your sleep. No, I think they want her for something else. But while we're on the subject of magic, let me explain Seelie magic: we gather our energy from nature itself. It can come from grasses and shrubs, like rupees; from our own life energy, or curiously enough from milk. Don't ask how that works." We landed on the other side, and using what magic I had regained, I turned Link back to normal size. "One more thing I should mention: if I run out of magic, it'll take a while to regain it. And since magic is so reliable, practically everything out here requires magic to use. So if I run out of magic, were pretty much stuck. So when you use my magic, **use it wisely**. Understand?" Link nodded and smiled. This kid's so darn cheerful; it's starting to make me feel guilty for dooming both him and his kingdom. Oh well, I guess like it or not I have to help him fix it. I take to my wings towards Glassmore Lake, and for the first time since meeting Link I allow my usual smirk to fall onto my face.


	10. Taibhse Banphrionsa

**Taibhse Banphrionsa**

_{Author's Note: I had to do at least one poem in honor of Spirit Tracks, I really had to. It's a great game, both for casual gamers and for long-time Zelda fans. And what better poem type than an Aisling, which practically requires a disembodied female spirit? Good luck pronouncing the name: it means "Phantom Princess".}_

Deep in the night, I hear her lament,

As she floats over the quelled engine room,

"Mother, how could I have failed you?

Why did it come to this?

How is it that I couldn't see the signs?"

It pains me to hear my princess suffer so.

By day we fight, she and I,

To undo the wrongs done by her Chancellor.

Her strength never wains,

Her heart never falters,

Just as Hyrule itself never fades.

But at night, she lets her pain flow to the realm of the dead.

"The Shackles the ancient spirits built,

My inaction allowed them to fade.

The sacred power of wisdom we share,

Could it have skipped a generation?"

Gingerly I climb my train,

To give comfort to my ghostly friend.

I need not say a word to her,

My eyes convey the peace of mind she needs,

"It's not over yet." she smiles,

"No, we'll put this right,

Malladus won't take this land,

Link and I will make you proud."

Content to my work, I climb back down,

To gain some well-earned rest,

I draw the blankets, my eyes flutter shut,

Zelda floats beside me; I swear she kissed my cheek,

"Good night, young hero." She sighs.

That night I dreamed of Hyrule castle, all aglow with its Princess, alive.


	11. If Ganondorf Were in Charge of Hyrule

If Ganondorf were in Charge of Hyrule.

_{Author's Note: Believe it or not, the public school district in my county requires students to re-write the same poem TWICE: once in elementary school, and once in high school. I took a cynical bent to this by making the one little boy who __**shouldn't **__be thinking this way re-write it as well.}_

Hyrule Poem

By Ganondorf.

If I were in Charge of Hyrule,

Hyrule Castle would be painted black,

The market would be less crowded year-round,

Hyrule field would be stalchildren-free,

And poe-hunting would be a national sport.

If I were in Charge of Hyrule,

The Dragon on Death Mountain would be well-fed,

The Deku Tree would be merely a sapling,

The winds of Death would cease in the Gerudo,

And the Zoras would just chill out!

If I were in Charge of Hyrule,

I'd melt down the Master Sword, to make it a crown,

And I'd quell rebellions before they begin,

Ghost towns would fill up overnight,

And old women would never suffer.

If I were in Charge of Hyrule,

The Kokiri uniform would be banned,

The Royal Family would be done away with,

The sages would surrender their power to me,

And the Triforce would sit in the palm of my hand.

If I were in charge of Hyrule,

I'd have a harem 500 women strong,

And ride a tall red steed,

And a little boy with "loose morals"

And "excessive entitlement issues"

Would still be allowed to be in Charge of Hyrule.


	12. I will not forget

**I will not forget.**

_{Author's Note: Dorn sent this idea to me, and I consider it a godsend. This is a Ballade, unlike a Ballad it relies on stanza structure as opposed to telling tall tales. Please remember that I could use unique ideas like this.}_

Life in the woods was a life half empty,

Atop a log I'd play a sad tune,

But then she appeared, the girl in green,

Wielding an ocarina, she'd bring me a cheery melody.

I remember her friend too,

He looked and smelled similar to her,

And for once I knew the word 'friend'

I will not forget.

I befriended others after her,

In a hidden kingdom deep in the woods,

They were greater than me, but being my friends,

None of us seemed to care.

Then one day they left,

Never once did they say why,

I learned that friends could abandon you,

I will not forget.

I made friends with fairies next,

And from a merchant we stole a strange mask,

It changed me, making me do evil things,

But my friends brought me back,

The giants returned, I forgave them in time,

A boy in green banished the mask,

He smelled so familiar,

Like the girl and her ocarina,

I will not forget.

Many years have passed, here in the woods,

That protects a sacred blade,

I wait to play with my friend in green, who

I will not forget.


	13. It must be difficult

**It Must be Difficult**

_{Author's Note: Not much needs to be said on this poem: it's a quick free verse on the themes of loneliness and self-sacrifice that seem to follow Link wherever he goes. Alas.}_

It must be difficult,

Living a simple, normal life,

Only To be stolen, shattered and obliterated,

By fate, or the Goddesses,

Or what you will.

He never asks, oh Link,

Is never given a choice or even a say.

He goes on without complaint,

It must be difficult.

It must be difficult,

To have a family, and friends,

As pure as Aryll, as trusting as Colin,

And to watch them be stolen.

And later to make friends,

And watch them die, or leave you,

Or even to be forced to leave them.

To hear _see you later_ for the last time,

It must be difficult.

It must be difficult,

Killing for the first time.

Hearing blade crash into bone

Feeling red dye seep into his clothes and skin,

To have no excuse to take a life,

Save his foe 'destiny'.

What he must endure,

Just to sate its mindless appetite.

It must be difficult.

It must be difficult,

To save a kingdom that doesn't care.

To go without recognition in the castle town square,

To be scammed freely,

To be teased openly,

To receive the moniker of urchin so thoughtlessly,

Can't they see what Link's fought for?

Do they know what's going on?

It must be difficult.

It must be difficult,

To wear that green tunic every day,

Therefore, let us shed a tear,

for this child of misfortune and abuse.

We've had our fun, but let us think:

if this were real,

Would we be no better than the Goddesses,

who chose this fate for him?

Indeed, it must be difficult.


	14. The Day of Choosing

The Day of Choosing

_{Author's Note: This short story [read: novella] centers on the back story of the Skyward Sword Link and examines the nature of his life in a boarding school and loftbird-human relationships as a whole. Almost everything in this story is bound to be wrong. Also, Narol is a name/acronym I made for the Nameless a*#&%^e rival of Link. Pronounce it how you will.}_

Even though home disappeared behind us a long time ago I keep facing behind us, trying my hardest to hang onto home. I look down at the clouds below and shiver; early mornings are always so cold, but at least on the farm the work keeps us warm. I can even feel Stride shivering beneath us, for all his warm and thick feathers. "Dad, how far away is Skyloft from home?" I asked one more time.

"Well, it's not a short trip," He replied again, "I imagine you may only get enough time off from school to visit us once a year." That news never made my happy, no matter how many times he said it, but he'd always follow it by saying, "But at school you'll learn new things and make great friends. In fact, it was at this very school that I met your mother." it made me feel a little better, but no less cold.

"Look Link, we've made it!" I turned around and peeked around Dad and Stride's head's towards where we were flying. Skyloft proper had green grass, fresh suspension pools and lots of room, just like home. But it's not really home, I thought with growing anxiety. We landed on a wooden deck next to a giant statue of the Great Goddess; Dad took my bag and headed for the stairs going downward towards the dorms. "Stay Stride, stay!" he called back to Stride, who obediently tucked his legs underneath himself and started cleaning out his feathers. "C'mon Link; boys' dorm is to the left, the girl's dorm is to the right: do not get them confused!" I followed behind him, trying to take in all that I can. The stone walls, the Goddesses outstretched hands, the girl in the corner of my eye staring at me as if I was a disembodied head; wait, what? I turn towards the girl's dorm and only see a flash of yellow and blue in the doorway of the girl's dorm. Dad marches on into the boy's dorm; I follow him while looking over my shoulder. Did I imagine the whole thing?

"Everyone in the dorms shares a room with one other person until about their fifth year at the academy." Dad explained, helping me unpack my clothes and other things into the bedside chest, "it looks like your roommate's already unpacked and gone. Come to think of it, isn't today . . ." Dad stopped himself before he said anything more and smiled fondly, "Isn't today what, Dad?"

"Oh nothing, just reminiscing a bit. Listen, I need to get Stride ready for the flight back home. Finish unpacking and I'll meet you at the flight deck in a few minutes, alright?"

"Alright, see you then Dad." As he left I unloaded my last change of clothes, my toothbrush, and a picture of home and all of us together: Dad, Mom, a few ranch hands and me. The picture was taken when I was three, which makes it all the more nostalgic, even if I can't remember the ranch hand's names. As I go to store my suitcase under the bed I hear someone knock on the side of the doorframe. The boy standing there looks two years older than me, but I guess we must be the same age since we're both on the first-years' floor, no upperclassmen are allowed. He had a mullet of red hair, wide cheekbones, and was pretty muscular for an eleven-year old. "So, did you just get here?" he asked in a gruff, very unfriendly voice. "Yeah, just landed ten minutes ago." I responded calmly, but it's obvious I'm on edge. "Listen up, kid,"

"Link. Call me Link."

"Alright "LINK", I've given this warning to all the local kids in Skyloft and all the newbie's who showed up on time; but I had a feeling there'd be one straggler who'd miss the memo."

"Oh, please pardon me and my father for leaving at four A.M. and flying for five hours to miss your all important memo, nameless kid I just met." My sarcasm seems to be lost on him.

"My name's Narol, that's the first thing I wanted to tell you actually. Don't forget it. Now that we've introduced each other, let's get down to business," He cracked his knuckles and cleared his throat, "There's a girl at this school, she's also a native Skyloftian. Her name is Zelda. You'll recognize her by her stunning good looks, her unwillingness to be seen with a pipsqueak like you from the boonies, and by how far out of her league you are from her. But in case it isn't clear enough to you, I'm the only guy on campus allowed to talk to her. We've known each other forever, so she wouldn't even want to be seen with the bumpkins who have to have their parents fly them here."

"Huh," I stood up and tried to meet him at eye level, but his eyes were a few inches higher that mine, "so even though this Zelda girl wants nothing to do with anyone but you, you feel the need to tell everyone to stay away from her anyway. Isn't that a little redundant?"

"ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT!" Narol grabbed the collar of my shirt and slammed me against a wall, "Swear you won't ever be caught talking to Zelda, or I'll force feed you a knuckle sandwich."

"Fine, I'll steer clear of this Princess of yours." I choke out hastily.

"That's great. And knock of the sarcasm; it's starting to bug me."

"I'll do my best." He set me down and left. Sheesh, what a psycho! I go back to trying to store my suitcase, but it's just not fitting under the bed! I pull up the covers and push it aside, only to find a box right where I was trying to store my suitcase. I pull the box out and set it aside, opting to store my suitcase first before seeing what's inside the box. Once that's finally done I pull the mysterious box up onto the bed. Offhand I'd say it's a nesting box, growing up around cuccoo nests all my life; but the indent for the egg is much bigger than that for cuccoo eggs. There are a few bits of brown egg in the box, and deep inside the box I found a small, green feather. It's the shame shade of green as Stride's feathers, but this one's a tiny molting feather. The rest of the box looks to be about twenty years old, the hay has lost most of its color and some of it looks moldy. Ick. I open a window and dump the stuff out . . . onto Narol's head. Whoops. I quickly pull my head inside, set the box on my bed and head for the door. It's been a few minutes, right?

"Ah Link, you've made it back." Dad stood on the edge of the platform, looking ready to jump onto Stride.

"Yeah, you'd be surprised what kind of sick garbage can be found in a dorm rooms."

"I hear ya; some kid got pelted with a big wad of rotten hay on the way out the dorms, while you were inside. He raised a pretty big stink about it." Dad couldn't help but laugh, just to stave off the sadness of our parting, "I guess this is it, you've finally grown up. Eleven years of trial and error for this day." Dad pulled me into a hug, "Take care of yourself Link." I've been dreading this moment for weeks, and the 'warm reception' I got isn't making it any better. In an attempt to hold back tears, the question slips out, "What if the kids here turn out to be jerks?" Dad pulled back and sighed, "Link, it's a matter of course that some kids here are going to turn out to be cruel. But don't worry about them. There's only one person you need to pay attention to: yourself." It was so vague, and yet his words seemed to make so much sense, "Thanks Dad."

"One more hint: you'll want to go to the auditorium as soon as possible." Dad pulled me into another hug, "I love you son."

"I love you too." I replied simply. He let go and prepared to jump off the dock. As he ran towards the edge, a thought came to me a moment too late, "Dad, wait!" I shouted as his feet left the platform. He whistled for Stride and the two took off, he waved as if he didn't hear me.

"Where's the auditorium?" I finally said, wishing I had thought to ask before he jumped.

"I know where the auditorium is." Said a voice so quietly I thought I imagined it, but when I turned around there stood the same girl I thought I saw earlier. I had to ask, "You're not imaginary, right?" I got a laugh in return, "No I'm as real as you are. I can show you where the auditorium is if you want."

"Oh, um . . . ok, thanks." I stuttered. This may very well be my first encounter with a girl my age.

"Thank you, actually," she told me as we began walking towards the Goddesses' statue, "I don't know why, but a lot of kids have been avoiding me lately. I have no idea why."

"Really, wow." This conversation isn't making me comfortable, "I wonder why."

"Me too. I'd start talking to them, they'd seem fine; then suddenly their eyes go wide and they look around like something's after them. Then they make up some excuse and run off. It's really starting to freak me out."

"Hmm, you wanna know what I think," I think back to earlier, "Maybe the local kids think they're too good for out-of-town kids and after listening to your voice they realize you're from another island and take off."

"That's a good theory . . . except my dad's the town mayor. I've lived here all my life."

"Oh . . . sorry I said the locals are stuck up, it's just I-"

"No worries, everyone makes bad assumptions once in their lives. So anyways, you come from another island?" wow, she changes subjects fast.

"Yeah, my parents own a farming island; it's a five-hour trip over here. I'm actually kinda glad I don't have to wake up and do chores all day anymore."

"Wow, what do you guys farm?"

"Wheat, cuccoos, and a few dairy cows. It's pretty small. So wow, your Dad's the mayor of Skyloft?" We walked through a doorway into a stairwell going down; it was awful dark.

"Yeah, which is why I thought the kids here would be a bit nicer to me. It seems like you're the only person giving me the time of day."

"I can't say I'm surprised, I got a really nasty reception too."

"Really, what happened?"

"I was unpacking and this big oaf called Narol came in and went berserk on me. You've probably seen him around here."

"Really, Narol?" the girl looked at me in shock, "he always seemed a bit foolish, and always played himself up as the "King of Skyloft", but I never thought he was a bully. What did he do?"

"Not much, he just kept telling me to stay away from his snooty girlfriend on threat of force-feeding."

The girl thought for a moment before replying, "I didn't know Narol had a girlfriend."

"Really, because he seems to have an obsession on keeping everyone away from her; He waited in the dorm rooms just so he could tell me. I don't even WANT to meet her after what he said."

"Hmm. Well, here we are." We entered a heavily lit room with a lot of other kids in it, all first years, "Well I hope we get to talk again."

"Sure thing. I'm Link, glad to meet a friendly face!" I responded, and held out my hand.

She took it and smiled, shaking it gently, "Glad to meet you too, Link. My name is Zelda."

A middle-aged woman at the front of the room began talking just after that, a perfect chance to blend into the crowd. Why in the Goddess's name did I not ask her name in the first place?

"May I have your attention please, first years?" The woman droned on for a few minutes about pointless things like 'the power of respect' and 'cleaning up after yourself' and other things we either already know or are incapable or unwilling of learning. I look around for Narol and found him in a crowd to my right. He still has chunks of moldy hay stuck in his hair, but his sneer prevents me from laughing as he picks the pieces out and glares at me. Great, first day and now I'm going to die. "And now without further to do is your principal, Salazar Nohanson." An older man walked out in front of the crowd and cleared his throat. He kinda looked like Dad, except his hair was pure white and long, instead of being short and dusty blonde like his, and mine.

"Good morning children. As you can see, part of the auditorium is closed off for now by these high curtains. We'll be raising them shortly. Today is a very special day for you, for as of today you start your formal education. And as luck, your parents have enrolled you in the most prestigious school in all of Skyloft: The Skyloftian Academy of the Holy Youth." He cleared his throat again and continued, "As your parents may or may not have told you, everyone in Skyloft must receive a bird when they go to school on their first day. But they may not have told you this: the decision is yours on which bird goes home with you." He gestures towards the edge of the auditorium and the curtains begin to rise, "today is considered a pseudo-holiday, in that you must attend school but you are not given any classes. Today's the day you find a life-long partner. This is The Day of Choosing."

Eggs, thousands and thousands of giant eggs sat on pedestals surrounding the room, in every color a person can imagine; set up in intricate aisles and rows. "These are Loftbird eggs. Each first-year student will be issued one egg by the end of the day, but which egg they take is their decision entirely. Please notice two things: one, no two eggs are alike and shell color is arbitrary; so please don't pick an egg simply because it looks pretty. Follow your intuition on which egg you take home. Second, if you lose your egg or chick or if your egg breaks prematurely, you will not be issued another egg. You get one chance at raising a bird, so don't squander it. Be decisive and enjoy the choosing process." He stepped out of the way and the crowd began running towards the eggs. Maybe not the best decision, but none of the eggs were smashed so I guess no harm no foul (I am so, so sorry for that pun. I will try not to make anymore.). Kids begin snatching eggs left and right, some kids not even looking at what egg they took. I look up again for Narol, but now he's distracted with finding the best egg. He settles on a bright red egg with yellow zigzags, and then proceeds to use it to gloat about how decisive and wonderful he is even though I'm pretty sure he picked it for the color. I happen to find Zelda while looking for an egg; she's standing in an isle across from me looking over several eggs, and by luck doesn't seem to notice me. She stops by a plain white one and picks it up; she seems to be talking more to herself than me, "this one seems to be calling to me. It looks so average, and yet . . ." she tucked the egg under her arm and left.

I look down at some of the eggs that are left; my eye stops on a dark-green one. There's been a running joke in my family ever since I was five that the color green was my color; one night back then I had managed to wander into the barn and was found sleeping on Stride's back, nestled deep into his feathers. Nah, something feels cheap about taking this one. It could be intuition, or the eggs "calling me", but I leave the green one be. There's a nice gold one sitting next to it, with bizarre writing on it I can't make out, but it doesn't feel right either. I walk past countless eggs, almost as if I'm being led to a particular egg. The drive is taking me to the back of the room, far away from most of the other kids. Here there are more eggs and less empty spaces, but I pass most of them by without s a second glance. Finally I found what I was looking for, even though I had no idea what I was trying to find in the first place. It's a shiny silver egg, with a bit of a blue finish on the sides. When I pick it up, my reflection shows up in it just as easily as if I was looking in a mirror. _There's only one person you need to pay attention to: yourself,_ I remind myself, as I take the egg outside. From now on, all I'm going to worry about is this egg and the reflection it casts.

I rest my egg on the ground ahead of me while I pick at the tall grass just outside of the Academy, building a small bundle to replace the moldy bunch that was in the old box. Without a knife, scissors or anything else sharp it was difficult; but at least I was also making some spending money on the side. Nice of them to provide a nesting box for us, but did it have to be so . . . disgusting? I see his reflection in the egg before he actually says anything, "Hi Link." Goddess, talk about disgusting things!

"Give me a break Narol; I didn't know that girl was Zelda."

"Oh, sure, and it never occurred to you to ask her for her name? You're so rude."

"Sorry, I was too busy listening to how miserable your little memo is making her."

"You little rat." Oh joy, he's decided to hoist me up by my collar again, "Nobody cares about you here. I could just toss you off a cliff and nobody would know the difference," he looked behind me, at my egg, "you call that an egg?"

"Hey, it's better than that eyesore you were showing off."

"Keep talking pipsqueak, maybe I'll toss that off instead. I remember something about 'no replacement eggs' being said."

"You don't have the guts," I snarled hoping it really was a bluff, "Or should I say 'the eggs'?"

"Heck, I might toss you both over at the rate you're going!" he threw me down on the ground, just an inch to the left of my egg.

"Alright, he gets the message Narol. He'll stay away from Zelda from now on." I looked back up and saw a kid next to Narol I didn't notice before. He was about my height, a little on the heavy side, and had slick black hair, "Besides, you could be spending this time talking to Zelda. I heard that ever since she left with her egg she's been sitting on the statue platform with it. All alone, just staring at it. I think she could use your company." Narol's face began to soften, even beam. He looked back at me once, as if to say, 'don't follow me' and left me alone with his apparent lackey as fast as he could go. Ironically he offered me a hand up, "I'm sorry about that. Narol can get a bit extreme when people threaten his pride or when he's jealous; I try to keep him in line. Name's Brutus."

"Thanks Brutus. I'm Link."

"Yeah, I know," He picked up my egg and handed it to me, "He kept ranting about you all the way here. You sure seem to like egging him on."

"Hey, I can't help it." I scoop up the grass I've gathered; "I get snarky when I'm scared. Come to think of it, I don't have much control over my sarcasm at all. It just comes out on its own."

"At least stay away from Zelda. He may be all talk now, but Narol'll mess you up if you give him a reason."

"I believe ya, but even then I doubt he'd go as far as to toss me off a cliff. But fine, I'll only speak to Zelda if spoken to." I carefully stand up.

"Not even then. Earlier today he decked a guy for asking her where the bathrooms are. Their conversation took less than thirty seconds; he didn't even get her name! Now that kids missing teeth, but at least his bladder's empty." Brutus looked away from my face to my back, "Dude, you've got one heck of a grass stain on your back."

"Really, being tossed in the fresh summer grass gave me a grass stain? Who knew?" I handed Brutus my egg and turned my head towards him, "would you mind backing up a bit so I can see it?"

Brutus did as I asked, "Part egg, part mirror; it's no question you picked the most useful one."

"Yeah, it practically called to me." Looking back in my eggshell I could see what he meant: the grass stain consistently covered everything from the collar of my shirt to my butt. From the looks of things it was pretty irreversible, "Aww man! How am I going to explain this to Mom and Dad?"

"Hey, it's not that bad: Green suits you." Brutus handed me my egg back, "If worse come to worst you can always roll around in the grass until your clothes are a uniform color."

He looked up at the Goddess's statue and sighed, "Well, it looks like Narol might be coming back soon, and he probably won't be too thrilled with me talking to you."

"That fast? He only went up there a minute ago!"

"He ran, remember? Anyways, it seems like Zelda didn't have much to say to him after all. You're still gonna want to get out of here before he gets back. And no more talking to Zelda, okay?"

"Fine by me. Take care of yourself Brutus."

"You too."

I took off at a bit of a run towards the dorms. Just the idea of seeing Narol again makes me wanna puke! Picking one local girl to hoard and going after anyone who dares exchange even a single word with her, AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW! I stop running and sit with my back against the wall, dropping my bundle of grass and resting my egg in my lap. I can actually see Zelda in the statue's hands, if I assume that tiny blue dot I'm squinting at is her. I wonder what she's thinking about from up there. I can also see Narol leaving the statue's main entrance to the upper and lower staircases. He'll probably be coming over here any minute, and after being snubbed by her I wouldn't put it past him to beat my face in to make himself feel better. I get up, pick up my bundle and look back at Zelda one last time. For the first time since I spoke to her I grasped fully what she was saying: _It seems like you're the only person giving me the time of day._ Ouch, does Narol even realize what that must be like? No wonder she's sitting up there alone, I wouldn't be surprised if she was crying. Subconsciously I take a step towards the statue. "No, don't worry about her." I mutter to myself turning towards the dorm rooms, "Dad was right, it's every man for himself here."

I pretty much kicked the door open to the dorm; even if I wasn't in the mood I was in I'd probably have to kick it open anyway on account of my hands being full. Looking back at me with shocked eyes was my apparent roommate: he was a lighter shade of blonde than me, and from the look of things was sketching his egg on a thick notepad before I broke his concentration. After the initial shock he seemed utterly mellow, as if this was in fact a daily occurrence to him. "Bad impression of the school already?" he asked.

"Don't even get me started." I muttered. I begin filling the box with the grass; thick amounts on the outside, and a small divot for the egg. I look the box over before placing my egg in it, and for the first time I notice the writing on the outside of the box. I can barely make out the red letters, but the image was frighteningly clear: half man, half bird. Wait, isn't that a logo?

"I suppose we'd better introduce each other sooner or later. Call me Lothar." I was barely listening to my roommate talk while I looked closer at the lettering, barely able to read the red print.

"Karura." I sounded out, reading the faded letters under the freaky logo.

"Karura, huh?" Lothar replied, "Odd name; as I remember it that was the name of an old loftbird rookery."

"What, oh sorry!" I swiveled around, embarrassed at myself, "I was just reading the side of the box; my name is Link."

"Alright, Link is easier to remember anyway." A small silence began after that, at which time I went back to the box. As I placed my egg inside the nest I thought more about said company: how it went out of business fourteen years ago due to the new policy of donating all fertilized eggs to the state-funded school programs that began years earlier. Since then the property the rookery own was sold and turned into a farm . . . our farm, in fact! My thoughts were cut off again by another inquiry from Lothar, "so what made that huge grass stain?"

"You remember that guy from earlier today, Narol."

"The pompous one? Vaguely. You did something to piss him off already?"

"I talked to this girl he likes; he wants to throw me and/or my egg off a cliff now."

"Wow, talk about disproportionate retribution." Lothar turned away from me and back to sketching his egg, "don't worry about it too much. Guys like that only get that kind of power now, but in the real world the smart guys have the edge. I'm sure someday Narol'll be forced to step back and allow you to do as you please, it might even be sooner than you think."

"Yeah, let's hope." The rest of the day passed in our dorm room. Lothar sketched his egg twenty times from different angles before deciding to just hold it over his head and stare at it like a giant orange crystal ball. I sat with my egg and polished it three times, until I could see the entirety of the room clearly. Whatever happens, I need to protect this egg. I silently vowed to never let it out of my sight. Dinner was rolled into our room at eight: a tub of stew, a sliced apple, a medium-sized roll and a small bottle of milk for each of us. All meals, except for lunch, were served this way. As we ate I voiced a thought that I had been going over in my mind for hours,

"I think I'm going to name my loftbird Karura, though."

"I guess it would suit a bird better than a child. I'm going to call mine either Baron or Komali, I haven't decided it yet." Lothar took another swig of milk, "It has a nice ring to it, Karura. Very melodic."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I begin humming a simple tune low enough that he couldn't hear me, "Ka-ru-ra, Ka-ru-ra, la-la-la-laa-La."

The next day we were all led down to the main courtyard not long after seven, when we'd all been forcibly woken up and urged to get ready. The first official day of class was today, and being late for any reason would not be tolerated. In keeping with my silent promise yesterday I took a thick red scarf mom had packed for the winter and made a sort of sling to carry Karura's egg in, then grabbed some pencils and a small notebook and entered the crowd going down the stairs towards the courtyard. Every grade, from first-years to teenagers in their seventh year clamored down the stairs in a mass exodus of the building. It was all I could do to keep my egg from being smashed against the walls or the other kids. In hindsight this was beginning to look like a bad idea. Once we got out of the dorms the crowd began to disperse a bit; the older kids went immediately towards a collection of buildings along the sides of the statue away from the dorms, while the first years crowded towards a billboard in the center of the courtyard. "It's a list of who goes to what class." Lothar said finally, "they divide the first years into three classes, from who left the auditorium on the day of choosing first to last. Good luck on getting a good teacher." Lothar merged into the crowd around the kiosk while I joined tentatively. After waiting almost five minutes I got to the front I finally saw the lists: I was put on the middle list, Mrs. Aryl's class. Guess who was also in her class? Narol and Zelda. Guess who was not in her class? Lothar or Brutus. I wondered for a moment if the Goddess secretly hated me before making my way towards room 118.

"Good morning students." Mrs. Aryl stated with a dull smile and a rehearsed tone, "Today is your first day of seven years in formal education. As such, these first two days will be dedicated to making these seven years easier." She took out some chalk, and much to our chagrin began writing on the blackboard fast enough to make it squeak yet slow enough to make the squeaks last. On the blackboard she wrote and underlined DAY ONE and DAY TWO, "Tomorrow we'll be discussing subjects such as course requirements to pass each year, how to conduct yourself around campus and of course the ever-anticipated 'Trade-courses'." She wrote these down in bullet points under day two. "But today we'll be discussing something just as important if not more important than that: Loftbirds." She wrote this under day one and underlined it _twice._ "I noticed some of you have chosen to bring your eggs to class today. Would all students who've brought their eggs please come to the front of the class with said egg?" three kids stood up, and like I need to say who they were. Narol sat at the front of the class; he got their first and held his gaudy egg under his arm like some sort of ball for a sport. Zelda sat in the second row and carefully cradled her egg like a precious gem. Being in the last row it took me awhile to get up there, and since I tied my egg into the sling so tightly it took a little longer to get it out. "As we've said before, Loftbird eggs vary in color and pattern just as much as the birds inside. Since we have three students up here I might as well bring up another important fact: in three days, counting this one, each of your eggs is expected to hatch." The whole class let out a low murmer. "Anyways, back to the eggs. Narol, may I see yours?" Narol reluctantly handed his over, "Some eggs, like Narol's, have bright colors on them and intricate patterns. They can be in any collection of colors: from simple contrasts to grayscale to pastel rainbows. The patterns themselves can also very: zigzags, spirals, diamonds, triangles, polka dots, writing, what you will." She handed Narol back his egg, "Thank you Narol, you may return to your seat." Narol took his egg and strutted proudly back to his seat. "Next we have one like Zelda's," Mrs. Aryl took Zelda's egg and held it up for the class to see, "Some eggs have just one color, in fact some are in normal colors like brown, red, light blue, and even white like this! Thank you." she gave Zelda back her egg and nodded to her to go back to her seat. I could've sworn she looked back at me while she went back, but I shook the idea off as Mrs. Aryl held up my egg for the class. "Ah, now this one is interesting," she held it up so the entire class was reflected in the shell, "occasionally we'll get an egg like Link's, with very unreal properties. This one reflects like a mirror, while others have appeared to be in wood-grain, stone, fabric, one was even recorded to be completely transparent! Regardless of what your egg looks like, each one is special and should be treated as a treasure, as should your loftbirds when they hatch. Thank you Link." I took Karura back and tied him back into the sling before loosening the sling from my shoulder down towards my waist so the egg can hang safely under the desk.

Now that we've discussed egg types, let's discuss bird types." She wrote down a few breed names under the Loftbird sign and left some space, "First there's the Querpecco. Can anyone tell me about them?" several hands go up, including mine. Stride's a Querpecco, after all.

"They're green." One kid says.

"They're super patient and calm." I say.

"They represent mastery in flight." Says what I can only assume to be the class bookworm.

"You're all absolutely right." She writes all these things down under the name and then writes down another breed: the Night Rebellion.

"How about the Night Rebellion?"

"They're tough." Says Narol.

"They can be mean." Says Zelda.

"They have dark purple feathers to camouflage into the night." Says another kid. Mrs. Aryl wrote all this down under the name. This continued with several other bird types: the Ashling, with dust-filled eggs; the Greater Thunderbolt, wicked fast and extremely observant, even the tiny golden Suncrest. She almost ran out of room before turning back to the class and addressing us without quizzing us on loftbird types.

"There are two other breeds of bird that I should mention, since they're so rare that your parents probably don't talk about them much; but this year we have the fortune of having one egg from each." She held up a drawing of a blue bird with purplish wingtips, "the first one is called a Cyan Maiden. In general we get an egg from a Cyan Maiden once every twenty years. They are so named for being birds chosen by the Goddess herself to seek out her most beloved maidens. Generally, those who get these birds will go on to be priestesses or priests. They can fly at extremely high altitudes." She put down the first picture and held up a second one. This bird was bright red and had a confidant gleam in its eye, "We haven't had an egg from this bird in over seventy years, and in fact scientists thought they went extinct for years until a flock was found just two months ago. These birds are said to be the inverse of the Cyan Maidens; in that they are red instead of blue, they can fly at especially low altitudes as opposed to high altitudes and that only the truest and bravest of heroes may fly one, according to Skyloftian superstition. In truth not all of its capabilities are known due to the isolation from the birds. They are called Akami."

"Yeah, there's no way I'm getting anything BUT an Akami." I could hear Narol say from one table away. I was sitting at a mostly vacant table, and finished with my lunch I had decided to polish my egg. "After all, I am the bravest, toughest, most heroic kid in all of Skyloft. Maybe in the whole world!" Sheesh! "Besides, Akami's are red, my egg is red, it makes perfect sense!" still, hearing him go on about it makes me think more about what type of Loftbird Karura might be. A patient Querpecco? That made sense, like father like son. A sly Ashling? That dust in its eggs might be useful. An aggressive Nights Rebellion? No, not one of those brutes! I'm so deep in thought I don't even register Zelda's reflection in my egg until she speaks, "Hi Link." I freeze, I stare into my egg registering her reflection and Narol's as he turns around to look at me. Zelda's happy expression turns to a cautious one, "umm . . . I was wondering if . . . maybe . . . we could talk about something?" Narol looks at me as if I killed his mother. I gulp and whimper, her face looks sadder and sadder as the seconds pass and she realizes that whatever keeps the other kids away has gotten to me too. I turn around for just a moment and our blue eyes meet, "Sorry." I whisper, before grabbing Karura and breaking into a run. I don't stop running until I'm back in Mrs. Aryl's room. She looks up from her paperwork, when she realized it was just a kid she rolled her eyes and went back to writing. I shambled back to my seat and buried my head in my arms. Boy, looking out for myself sure does hurt.

The rest of the day went on a lot like the first half: Mrs. Aryl would bring up a detail of bird care, write it down on the board and expect us to remember it. She has a habit of stating the obvious, which is good I guess; if you're a moron. When class ended I bolted again out of the room into the crowded halls back towards the courtyard. "I ask you not to say a single word to her, for your own safety," (Where'd Brutus come from?), "And what do you do? You say one, single, solitary word to her."

"What should I do?" my heart rate goes up just a bit. If Narol does decide to thrash me, there wouldn't be much I could do.

"First off, I'd put your egg in a safe place. He loves talking about smashing that thing. You're also going to want to get off the campus grounds until nightfall. He'll be looking for you."

"Isn't it against the rules to leave campus grounds?"

"The teachers and townsfolk don't like it, but there's no official rule," Brutus and I ducked behind the dividing wall of the boy's dorm, "You're gonna want to leave soon, while the crowds are big." I remove the sling with Karura's egg in it, "Would you mind taking my egg up to my dorm room? It's room number 42. And if Lothar's there could you tell him to not let anyone in until I get back?"

"Yeah, ok." Brutus took my egg and headed for the stairs to the first-year floor, "Just remember that you owe me." I slipped back into the crowd, hoping Karura would be ok. So much for my promise to never let him out of my sight, but if it's to keep him safe I'll live. When the coast was relatively clear I made a break for the western bridge connecting the Academy to the rest of Skyloft and began looking for a place to stay for the next five hours.

"Are you here to buy something, or kill time?" the older kid behind the counter asked as I paced once more from the front of the Bazaar to the back. This was the best I could come up with, I swear. I tried hiding in one of the loftbird caves under the city but it just picked up my head in its beak, walked me over to the city and dropped me on my butt. It would've been funny if I wasn't so scared. Then I stayed at the potion shop for an hour until the shop owner kicked me out. I even bought a bottle of red potion before he tossed me out! I've been here for three hours, just pacing and avoiding as much small talk as possible; it's been easy since it's a slow shopping day. In fact, the only shop open in the whole bazaar was his little repair shop. And now he wanted to kick me out, that's just great. "Well, to be honest, yeah . . . I'm killing time."

"Hey, fine by me," he went back to turning screws into a piece of metal that looked like deranged bug pincers, "If I were my dad I'd have to throw you out, but I'm an academy student; I get it. Sometimes you just need some time away from the teachers and the other kids and all the other noise, I can dig that."

"Actually, I'm not just killing time," I finally admit, "I'm kinda trying to hide."

"Hide? What in Skyloft does a first-year have to hide from?"

"Does the name "Narol" mean anything to you?" I stop in front of his stall, relieved that he had no plans to immediately toss me out.

"Oh, you got caught up in that whole Narol/Zelda mess!" He laughed as if life and death situations made good jokes, "Don't worry about it kid, you've got backup on your side."

"Really, 'cause from what I've seen all the other kids are running scared too."

He laughed again, which was getting a bit annoying, "I've lived in Skyloft longer than Narol and Zelda, and I s'pose you too, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's this: you don't do anything to get Mayor Gaepora mad, assuming you value your life. So when he finds out that Skylofts' resident dipstick's giving his beloved daughter a hard time of it he'll fix him like nobody's ever been fixed before."

"Uh-huh," I replied without enthusiasm, "and how long do you think it'll take for him to resolve this issue?"

"I imagine he'd set out to fix things before sunset, at least. Zelda's been in a bad way since yesterday, so when he finds out Narol's to blame he won't waste a second. Anyways, if you're scared to go back to your dorm over it I'd say you have nothing to worry about, but if Narol still manages to give you a hard time tonight you just march yourself back here and ask the guy running this stand, my dad, for Stan. If worse comes to worst, I'll help you figure this out."

"Thanks Stan. Call me Link." I replied with relief, heading for the door.

"No problem, take care of yourself Link." Walking outside a faint sense of joy returned to me from when I first spoke to Zelda, along with a bit of cruel humor from when I dumped the moldy hay on Narol's head. What was I thinking, being afraid of Narol like that. Now that the problem's resolving itself I can do whatever I want again, even talk to Zelda about whatever it is she wanted to talk about; I might even get to apologize for being such a coward earlier today. I don't register the sting of his large knuckles until I'm on the ground and Narol's gotten two more punches in.

Several punches and kicks followed, all thrown by Narol. He didn't say a word as I screamed and begged him to stop; his face was locked in the reddest fury I've ever seen in any body that alone was just as horrifying as the throttling itself. Finally I gave up and curled into a whimpering ball, exposing just my back to his attack. But just as suddenly as it began, Narol stopped, right in conjecture with someone shouting at him. I uncurled my body enough that my head could poke out again. "I will not have such violence in my streets, you hear me boy?" a man with a ridiculously long eyebrow shouted in Narol's face, which he was hoisting up to his level for good measure. Narol nodded furiously, but the grave look from the guy didn't fade. He pulled me up to my feet and dropped Narol simultaneously, "I'm walking both of you back to the academy." He pointed at me, "I want you to take care of your injuries and then head back to your dorm. As for you Narol, the principal and I are going to have a chat with you, and rest assured your parents are going to hear about this." Narol looked like he was going to throw up, so I'd say we're about even.

Everyone I walked past gave me freaked out looks as I passed them on the way to my room. I was stumbling a little from the walk, but decided that I was going to stay in the dorm room until morning, if only because it was so late and because I was in no mood to talk about what happened. I tried to open the door, but something was holding it shut; I knocked on the door only to get a calm question from Lothar, "What do you plan on calling your Loftbird?"

"Karura." I huffed out. A moment passed before I heard something shift and the door swung open and Lothar's calm face shifted into horrified surprise, "What happened to you?" he asked before I stumbled into the room.

"**Narol happened.**" I growled before collapsing onto my bed. I pulled Karura onto my stomach and looked into his shell. I had a split lip and a black eye, but I was pretty sure that by morning I'd be covered in bruises. Today was not a good day. I put Karura back in his nest and went to to bed, ignoring supper all together when it arrived.

The next day Brutus came to our dorm nearly an hour before the scheduled wake-up call and pretty much woke us up. Lothar had put his easel back under the doorknob, again in case of Narol, so I had to get up and move it. Brutus took one look at me and shuttered, "Man, Narol really DID do a number on you."

"What do you want Brutus?" I asked while Lothar registered there was someone else in the room and tried to make himself presentable.

"Well first and foremost I wanted to give you some news on Narol: mayor Gaepora has personally banned him from being within ten feet of either you or Zelda. You because of yesterday, and Zelda for obvious reasons. Also he was told to knock off his hoarding act over her. I'd say all in all we got him good."

"We?" Lothar scoffed, "Do you really think Link got himself beat up with the intention of getting Narol in trouble?"

"Well, no, but it is a spring board for another idea I had."

"Wait, so now we're conspiring against him?" I asked, suddenly wondering if this was a dream.

"Hey, why not?" Brutus added, "The guy's a jerk, and he deserves to be knocked down a few pegs!"

"Alright, so he's lost the girl, got in trouble with his family, the school and the village as a whole, isn't that everything that brings him some bravado?" I asked.

"Well, it's not everything," Brutus gestured for us to come a bit closer, "You know how he keeps talking about how he's destined to get an Akami and all that?"

"Yeah, so?"

"If he actually DOES get the Akami his head will swell back up again. We'll never hear the end of it! But what if he just happened to . . . I don't know . . . lose his bird?"

"Are you suggesting we take his egg or his hatchling and kill it, just because we hate him?"

"Brutus kinda has a point here," Lothar chimed in, "He'd be getting an exceptionally rare bird with some unknown capabilities, plus he'd take it to mean he was some sort of 'chosen one'. I don't know about you, but put this all together and it makes me uncomfortable with anyone who receives an Akami, especially Narol."

"I figure one of us wouldn't be able to get it from him, but three people should be able to get the job done: Two to hold Narol back, and one guy to get his bird and-"

"No, that's sick!" I almost screamed, not believing what I was hearing, "what's wrong with you two? Not even a creep like Narol deserves to have his one and only bird killed right in front of him! Besides, there's no guarantee that he'll even GET an Akami, so if he doesn't **what then**? Are you going to kill his bird anyway, or are you going to kill the Akami regardless of who owns it? And if so, what if it's one of you? What if it's Zelda, **what if it's me?**" Lothar and Brutus looked at each other, neither one knowing what to do if that's the case.

"Count me out, in any event." I growled, getting ready for class as fast as I could and then waiting with Karura on the wooden dock where I last saw Dad for signs that class would start soon. Anything to get away from those two maniacs!

"The Baker's Trade-course mostly consists of standard culinary courses, as well as a few more advanced mathematics classes, physics courses and a course on artistic presentation," Mrs. Aryl droned on to our half-asleep post-lunch class. Every trade course she offered sounded more and more boring, until she got to the second to last one, "Then there's the Knight's Trade-course, a favorite amongst students and faculty. In fact, they're so revered that each year the graduating knights get a tunic in a color specifically chosen for the graduating year." I took out a piece of paper to write down what she was saying, when another, neatly-folded piece of paper tumbled out of the pile. I looked it over and shrugged, taking the piece of paper and the strange message and writing down what Mrs. Aryl was saying. "The Courses include hand-to hand combat, swordplay, basic archery, sky combat, conditions training and classes on tactical knowledge." I wrote it all down as fast as she said it, although reading it later it was a mess, the capped the string of scribbles with the word DO WANT repeated across the page. I know its sacrilege to go against the tradition of farmers my dad started, but I don't think anyone in my family would disapprove of me being a Skyloftian Knight. "Finally we have the Priest/Priestess trade-courses, which as you can see blah blah blabity bla herp de derp de teedily tum wahwahwhawhawhwawha peas and carrots." Mrs. Aryl continued on in such fashion (I'll admit I didn't catch all of what she was saying.) I unfolded the message idly, hoping it wasn't Brutus again trying to solicit me for his plan.

_Link,_

_Meet me in the Goddess's hands after class._

_I REALLY need to talk to you._

_Zelda._

Man, she's really desperate to speak to me, isn't she? Well, I guess I kind of owe her that, after all that's happened in the past two days. Still, what does she mean by the Goddess's hands? Mulling this over I realized it meant the hands of the Goddess's statue. Great, but how do I get up there? The final bell rang while I mulled over those thoughts, "Now remember children: tomorrow your eggs will be hatching, and I won't have a bunch of peeping in my room. As such you will leave your eggs in your dorm room during class. Dismissed." Yeah, there's no way I'm leaving Karura where Lothar and Brutus can get to him, you know, just on the off-chance . . . well, better find a way up to the statue's hands.

Later that day, and after much trial and error I found the second staircase in the Goddess's statue leading up to its hands. It makes me wonder what other weird stuff can be found around Skyloft if you look hard enough. Zelda was sitting in the same spot as the day before yesterday, only she was facing where the stairwell came out instead of watching the grounds. Her face instantly paled when she saw the bruises and cuts on my face, "My Goddess, I am so sorry about yesterday!" she sputtered as she jumped to her feet. I sighed and sat down next to her, "Hey, don't worry about it. It was Narol swinging those punches not you."

"Well, yes, but it was because of me that he was doing that. Anyways, I should have realized it was me all along, if I'd known I swear I would have told him to knock it off."

"Seriously, don't worry about it. I believe you. Besides, it's over with now, so why worry about it?" a bit of a silence began after I said that, not that I minded, being a bit used to keeping my mouth shut by now.

"That's not exactly why I wanted to talk to you about, by the way." She finally said while I adjusted into a comfortable backwards lean.

"Ok, so what's on your mind?"

"Before I tell you, promise you won't think I'm crazy."

"Trust me, I know at least three crazy people already; I think you're fine."

"Alright, here it is: ever since I was five, I've had this weird dream, and I think it's prophetic."

"And you're sure it's not just Déjà vu?"

"How could it be déjà vu, if you've been in it every time I've had it?"

"I'm sorry, **what**?" I asked after another tiny silence.

"Well, not like you are right now. I guess I should explain better: we're both much older in the dream, like . . . like maybe 20ish. But most of the basic features are the same: the hair colors, eye colors, if it isn't you in my dream that it's nobody else I know of."

"Alright, so what happened in the dream?" I sat up, a bit more nervous about what she might say.

"Well, we were flying on a pair of Loftbirds: yours was red, and mine was blue."

"Huh, that actually sounds like an Akami and a Cyan Maiden."

"That's what I thought too. While we're flying everything is peaceful, but then a tornado suddenly appears under us. I'm sucked in, but you manage to stay on your bird; the tornado was closer to me. As I'm falling, I hear this weird chanting-"

"Wait a minute, the tornado is chanting? Or is something in the tornado chanting?"

"I'm not sure where it was coming from; it just seemed to be there. I did sort of recognize what it was saying, but it didn't really mean anything to me: 'Ghirahim, Ghirahim,' was all it said, over and over."

I tried my hardest not to laugh, "That sounds like a cheesy villain's name, doesn't it? 'I am Demon Lord Ghirahim and I shall summon a giant tornado because I am sick with anger!" thankfully my crude attempt at lightening the mood got a laugh out of Zelda.

"So while that's all happening, I see you jump off your bird and dive into the tornado, towards me. I see you reach out for me and see you shout something, but I just can't hear over the roar of the tornado and the chanting."

"And then what happens?"

"That's it, after that I wake up every time. It always feels like I've fallen from the tornado into my bed."

"Well, I must admit that is a strange dream," I said when I could speak again, "but as far as reoccurring dreams go it's not so strange."

"The dream itself isn't strange, but the fact that it's an older version of us is what worries me. Father doesn't believe me when I say this, but I think it might be some sort of premonition. What do you think?"

I sighed, trying to find a way to respond to all that I've had to take in from this conversation, "Well, I don't know; I can't tell the future, after all. I do believe it has some sort of meaning, but I can't tell what it might be." I stood up then.

"Thank you for listening." She added sincerely as I headed for the stairs.

"No problem. By the way, tomorrow if your egg happens to have an Akami in it, try to keep it a secret from everybody at school. I've heard some kids talking about doing some awful things to whomever gets that one, and I'd hate to see you lose your Loftbird."

"Ok, thank you for the warning. See you tomorrow in class."

"Right, see you then." It took all my focus to get down the stairs without falling down them. Funny, I always thought that being in a girl's dream would be more enjoyable to find out about. Oh well, guess I'd better get ready for tomorrow.

The next day nobody could shut up about their hatching eggs and their hatchlings, from sun-up all though lunch. Narol's egg hatched overnight, producing a Night's Rebellion. Well, lucky for him. I kept Karura close to me as kids came back from lunch and everyone talked about what breeds they got: Ashlings, Querpeccos, Greater thunderbolts, but no Akami. Lunch ending was a bit of a relief, and for once not having Lothar or Brutus in class was an advantage.

"And so the Legend goes that the Great Goddess gathered the people on a small hill near the sea and used her powers to raise it into the sky, thus creating Skyloft as we know it." Mrs. Aryl was telling the Legend of the Goddess as a preamble to our history classes, since according to the local priests it counts as history; but really? A land beneath the clouds? Only an idiot like Narol would believe a load like that (and to tell you the truth he seemed the most interested, behind maybe Zelda). Suddenly, while Mrs. Aryl gets into the part about the sacred harp and the sword, I feel a small*tink* "-And so the powers of evil were forced back into the earth, with our world in the sky to remain-" *tinktinktink . . . tink* what is that? It feels like it's coming from . . . oh no not yet, class is almost over! "And so began the recorded history of modern Skylo-"

~CRACK~

I pull up Karura's satchel just before the shell, broke and interrupted a shocked Mrs. Aryl. I undid the sling's main knot and set the bundle on my desk. In place of a silvery egg sat a reddish-pink hatchilng, about the size of a regular Cuccoo. He had a beak way too big for his head and bright yellow eyes that locked onto mine, "K-Karura?" I said quietly, vaguely aware that everyone was staring at me. Karura responded with a shrill peep. "Link!" Mrs. Aryl added in an even shriller bark as she stalked over to my desk, "What did I say about bringing your egg to-" she took one look at Karura and stammered. And then the final bell rang. Kids started pouring out of her classroom in an attempt to avoid the awkward situation . . . all but me and Narol. I know because I could hear his blood boil over Mrs. Aryl's next words, "Link, do you realize . . . your bird, it's the Akami." Immediately after I see Narol go from angry to a creepy type of thoughtful and watch him storm out of the classroom. How else could this go wrong? I stammer out a goodbye to Mrs. Aryl, grab Karura and sneak out the door. I can't go back to the dorm room, and the city's not an option, for now I'm just going to head for the Goddess hands and hope an idea comes to me. As if!

"I don't know what to do, boy." I looked over the edge of the balcony while Karura tumbles around beside me, chasing worms and small beetles, using the width of my body to block him from the deadly edge.

"Who knows, maybe the guys were just kidding when they said they wanted to kill you. No, I'm not going to take any chances. Maybe I could hide you in the Bazaar, like right behind Stan's shop. That'd be too imposing; after all we just met two days ago. I could keep you in the underground caves, but would the older birds pick on you?" I gently scratched under his chin-area and sighed, wondering if this is what being a parent is like. That sigh tuned into a great puff of air as something heavy forced me onto my back, which turned out to be Brutus. Karura peeped helplessly as Lothar grabbed him by his legs and passed him off to (who else but) Narol. "So, this whole time, it was you with the Akami." He sneered while Karura could do little more than helplessly flap his wings and protest with shrill peeps. "Get off me and put him down!" I growled just as weakly from under Brutus' weight. "Sorry Link," Lothar said from the sidelines, "But we've been thinking about what you said and you're right: if anyone could get the Akami, it could corrupt anyone."

"**That's not what I meant you dunderheads!**" I growled and weakly reached my left arm towards Karura, whom Narol was dangling over the edge of the Statue's hands.

"Did you hear that guys? He just called us dunderheads!" Narol let his pinky slide away from Karura's legs, letting him sag more towards the ground far below.

"No, please!" I finally mutter, letting the reality sink in: these idiots are serious.

"Link, I personally have three reasons why I'm doing this." Narol smirked, "One, you're a sarcastic brat and no one likes you for that." He removed his ring finger and Karura slid down a bit more. "Narol, I'm sorry! Please don't do this!" I thrashed like crazy under Brutus until Lothar restrained me further. "Two, you're way too lucky for your own good; this is just the thing to level the playing field." Then he removed his middle finger and I actually began shedding tears,

"Guys stop, this is crazy!" I blubbered, wondering how I could even speak at a time like this.

"And three: you Just. Don't. Know. Your. Place." His last finger flicked outward and Karura fell to what would obviously be his death. Over my screams and sobs I could hear Brutus, "When we get off of you and you go down there to collect the body, you're to tell everyone that he fell on his own, an accident if you will."

"Or else you'll be next!" Narol smirked, until said smirk crumpled into pale terror from something behind me. I was barely able to turn my head around enough to see a fully-grown blue bird; a cyan maiden, it had to be, with three riders: The principal, Mayor Gaepora, and Zelda. Four when I realized that ball of pink fluff on Zelda's lap was a very shocked and very alive Karura. "You three are in so much trouble." Gaepora said calmly but with faint malice.

The next three hours passed in a whirlwind. Brutus and Lothar received weeklong afterschool detention, while Narol got a two-day suspension for threatening a bird's life. Interesting fact: actually killing a Loftbird would have got him expelled, and maybe even some jail time. It was also deemed appropriate for me to get a room change immediately, seeing as my roommate might take another swing at my bird; however, since most of the first-year dorms were already full and nobody seemed keen to room with a potential bird killer the only room I could get was one on the second-year floor. My new roommate, Pipit seems to have more respect and less killing intent towards Karura, being a self-proclaimed loftbird geek. Between the moving, the doling of punishments and the general confusion of the afternoon a thought occurred to me: the only person who could have known in time to save Karura and gather Zelda, Mayor Gaepora and Principal Nohanson was Zelda herself. The sun was beginning to set when I set out for the Goddess' hands once more, now knowing the way by heart.

"Thanks for catching Karura." Zelda didn't notice me until I sat down, too absorbed in the sunset, I guess.

"Oh, no problem," she smiled and turned back towards the setting sun, "I just wish I could have gotten here sooner, so I could properly tell him off." She made punching motions at the air, causing me to snicker at the mental image.

"But I mean it Zelda, Karura and I owe you big time. From now on, if you get into any sort of trouble, count on us to fix it."

"You mean it?"

"Of course! We pretty much owe you our lives at this point." Zelda's smile grew even wider.

"So does that mean we're friends?"

"I don't see why not."

"Even though you're a boy, and I'm a girl?"

"Tell you what: if it really is impossible for boys and girls to be friends, I'll . . . I'll kiss Narol." Zelda stared at me in shock, I knew I had to add something to ease the tension ". . . on the lips." Another awkward silence . . . and then we laughed so hard people on the ground could hear us.

That was about seven years ago, and Zelda and I have been friends since. I also intend to keep both my promises regarding our friendship, should the need arise. This story is only the beginning of my strange and wonderful life in Skyloft; but I'll have to stop writing for a while, since the bird rider's ceremony is in three days, and Zelda says Karura and I need more practice flying and taking trust-dives. Hopefully when I get back to writing this I'll a good starting point for an autobiography, should anything happen during my active duty. But those dangers are for other chapters; let this be a calm beginning before the storm.


	15. Dark Links' Resolve

**Dark Link's Resolve**

_{Author's Note: This is yet another suggested poem from Sheikahgal, from the perspective of our favorite reoccurring villain. I love Halloween; it gives me so many morbid ideas for poems and short stories. Expect a T rating soon.}_

We wait in shadows, cold and black,

We're warriors by trade,

Until a king leads the attack,

To make the light world fade.

From smallest keese to powerful stalfoes,

We are many, and strong as steel,

One icy shriek and the mortals know,

Their Nightmares have become real.

Babas with their vicious bite,

Bokoblins and moblins brandishing spears,

Redeads howling in the night,

Iron Knuckles fighting without fear.

Our kind have ruled the world before,

And drove away accursed light.

We will, I'm certain, rule it once more,

And bring about eternal night.

Yet I am the shadow of our foe,

Who ended and prevents our glorious reign,

My emerald double and I fought so long ago,

But his scars still bring me pain.

I know his moves, I know his ways,

When we duel next I will win.

Our kind will be led to darker days

Let our next conquest begin.


	16. Harvestnight

**Harvestnight.**

_{Author's Note: I'm kind of cheating on this one, since I'm re-telling a personal narrative from the most notorious teacher in the world: Sloan (Generally the Mrs. Prefix is omitted by students. Also they tend to say her name almost as if they're groaning phonetically.) Whether you love what she does with her life or hate her guts for the work she levies on her students, no one can deny that the charity work she does annually earns her the moniker of hero in its own rights. Therefore I have substituted Twilight Princess Link for her and Midna for the more sarcastic audience to her story, namely me. But don't doubt this: I love this story for what it's worth.}_

"I _**NEVER**_ want to do that again." Midna glowered from within Link's shadow. Link sighed and gathered the rupees his fallen enemies had dropped. He was down to his fifth heart and no matter how hard he tried to find one in this Farore-forsaken place. But at least they had made it to where the boss key was located. Shaking off the cold Link crossed into the room ahead of him, with Midna wearily in tow. Link shoved open the chest at the back end of the room, and reached into the box, expecting to find the key s to the Yeti's bedroom . . . only to find a large orange gourd instead. "P-pumpkin, WHAT?" Midna roared and jumped out of Link's shadow faster than ever before. She glared at the pumpkin in Links hands with all the annoyances of the day and simply growled, "We came all this way for a pumpkin? Forget it; let's get Yeta to spill on the real location of the key." Midna returned to Link's shadow and Link stuffed the pumpkin into his bag of holding. Link jogged over to the door on the right of the room (according to the map the kitchen would be on the other side.) vaguely aware of Midna muttering pumpkin-themed obscenities. He sighed, "Midna, you've been really high-strung lately." He said simply. The simple comment made her jolt out of his shadow, "I- you never- since when can you talk?"

"I could always talk, sure; I've just never had anything to say before."

"And today you talk for the first time just to say I'm high-strung? Thanks for waiting!" Midna slid back into his shadow while.

"Still, getting worked up over a pumpkin . . ."

"It's the effort we put into _looking_ for that pumpkin that sets me off." Link pushed aside a crate blocking him and Midna off from the rest of the cold storage room and jumped down, "you know it's funny, a long time ago I spent an entire year putting effort into growing a pumpkin . . . . Voluntarily."

The two were silent as Link entered the next room and was, for lack of a better word, bullied out of his pumpkin by Yeto. If there was one thing that Yeti cared about, it was making his sick wife better via bizarre soups. Midna let her anger dull as she thought about what Link said, realizing for the first time how little she knew about her . . . friend? Yes, at this point it was safe to assume that Link was her friend. She knew he almost never talked, perhaps he preferred it that way. But something deep inside the imp prodded at her to ask more as Link was given new directions from an ill and very confused Yeta. And she knew what that something was. _Alright Zelda, I'll ask him, but only after he's done getting directions. _She growled at the fellow princess in her body, not for the first or the last time lamenting her decision to sacrifice her life-force to save her life. Having another soul in her body was disturbing enough without having it so radically different from her own. "So let's hear this story about the pumpkin." Midna said simply. Best thing about Link not knowing her lineage: she could talk however she damn well pleased around him. Link slashed at two Wolfos while replying, "are you sure now's the best time?"

"I just now got you talking, and then you allude to some strange incident in your past. I want to know what that's about before you clam up for good." Link sighed, "Alright, I'll tell you along the way. But first could you Twilify me for a little bit? I have this weird feeling I'm missing something here, something a human wouldn't notice." He was making an excuse for time to think, and they both knew it, but regardless Midna pulled out the shard of Twilight magic and tapped it against Link's forehead. Within seconds his skin and visible clothes melted into fur, his body contorted into quadruped form, and Midna climbed onto the beast's back. Something felt natural to Link about being a wolf here, the way his paws barely gave to the thick snow and how his warm fur prevented the cold better than his tunic; he deeply wished he could stay in this form until they found the mirror shard and left this stinking mansion for good. But even if he could go through this entire dungeon without a single piece of equipment Midna had still demanded a story from him, and he knew he owed her that much. As he dug at a chest in the corner of the courtyard, he carefully recalled all the details that seemed relevant. Pulling a key from the box, he signaled for Midna to change him back and began talking and moving towards a window on the edge of the courtyard,

"It was a few years after my parents died, so I was about nine at the time." Midna stifled a gasp as Link climbed though the window; obviously Link never spoke of his parents before, but for both of them to die when he was so young? At least she had hers up until she turned eighteen, not that she could appreciate it at the time, "So who took care of you? I mean, they didn't really let you live alone in the woods did they?"

"Actually, that's another thing you should know about:" He pushed open a door into the next room, an armory by the look of it, "Ordonian law states that a child is to inherit the estate of his parents in the event of their death at the age of five or older. So in other words, yes, they left me alone in the woods." Link carefully dispatched a mini freezard and tried his hardest not to slip on the icy floor, "it wasn't so bad. Fado had me working with the goats back then for ten rupees a day and Rusl checked in on me daily, so I was hardly suffering. It was only in the fall that I felt scared and alone." Link picked up a cannonball on the ground and resumed his story, "You see, Ordonians celebrate the night after the Harvest with a huge feast with friends; but because we let down our guard during the festivities evil spirits can cause chaos during the night. So what we do is: Take a pumpkin," He loaded the cannonball into a cannon on the other side of the room, pointing towards a massive freezard, "Carve out the insides, carve a face onto one side of it," then he took out a bomb and dropped it into the cannon, "and put a candle inside of it. We do that to sca-" The bomb exploded within the cannon, sending the cannonball flying into a block of ice blocking off their path, making it shatter into thousands of pieces.

"Nice shot." Midna sighed, trying her hardest not to seem bored by the slow exposition, "So you were saying?"

"Well, even before my parents died we never had enough space or time to grow a pumpkin, so every year we went without one. But back then I wasn't as scared of evil spirits, since I had them." Link kicked open a chest containing bombs dejectedly, "but for next two Harvestnights, I would stay up all night in fear. Every year I wished I had a pumpkin to carve, just so I could sleep at night. Every year I would go in to town to try and but a pumpkin, but no matter how much money I saved for them they would all be gone before I could even touch one." Link lit off another cannon and exited the armory though a southern door, entering a room with no floor, just frozen beams made of wood.

"So one year, right before the end of spring Rusl gives me a tiny pumpkin plant in a jar. And as soon as the frost ended I planted it right along the path to my house, right by the main road." Link took a breath and knocked a mini freezard off the next beam with his clawshot. Midna didn't even bother to repress her laughter as it knocked another freezard into the void with it; black humor, as much as her father loathed it, was a staple of her life since she was a child. Link carefully jumped from one beam to another and resumed his story,

"And every day before work I would go out go out to my pumpkin, water it, and talk to it. Plants grow faster if you talk to them; people say it makes them less lonely." Link raided a pair of chests for a red rupee and a compass and then aimed his clawshot at the next door. "The pathway to my house connects to the main road between Ordona's fountain the rest of the village, so to go to and from the fountain,"

"I've seen your house Link; you don't have to explain the geography." Midna grumbled as they left the previous room and crossed into another which led right back into the courtyard. She quietly seethed over the redundancy of it all.

"The thing is, to get to Ordona spring and back to town, you have to pass by my house. And only one person did that on a daily basis: Ilia."

"Oh boy, here we go," Midna grumbled as Link fired another cannon at another block of ice, "You act like you worship that girl, you know that?"

"You'd act that way too if there was only one person your age you knew growing up, especially if she'd lost her memory." Link retrieved the cannonball and reloaded the cannon, this time facing it at a nearby Freezard, "anyways, everyday she'd walk by my house, and when she saw me planting my pumpkin she said 'what kind of plant is that', and so I told her it was a pumpkin, then she told me 'pumpkins don't grow very well on this side of town. You're probably not going to get an actual pumpkin out of it." Link entered the next room, which looked like a jail cell. Midna was immediately on guard (Something felt _wrong_ about the statues in the room), but Link crossed the room without thought, reminiscing about his plant and his friend, "Every day, while I was taking care of it and talking to it, Ilia would come by and tell me it wasn't growing fast enough, but I'd shrug it off and g-" A loud clatter erupted from behind them as one of the suits of armor was crushed by a giant metal ball on a chain. Looking further they could see that one of the suits of armor had come to life and was now wielding the heavy weapon. Link drew The Master sword from its sheath and uttered a brief curse, hoping to kill this creature quickly before he lost his train of thought.

Midna's muscles screamed as she followed Link's swift movements from the shadows, a reminder that princesses are not built for the strain of battle. The shadow imp scowled, the irony was not lost on her that she was really two princesses fighting for two separate Kingdoms at once when the normal solution to royal problems is to throw as many mindless soldiers at it as one can. Still, as long as Link was in human form all she could do is stay in the safety of his shadow, just like the royal advisors would want her to. _Is it any wonder people think the royals are useless?_ Minda thought, vaguely feeling Zelda's agreement within her. Lately Midna had taken to staying up at night, to make sure nothing attacked Link as he slept. On the rare occasions something did try to ambush Link it gave her the satisfaction of strangling it with her magic; but otherwise it only heightened her impatience and frustration when fights like these occurred. Link dodged the heavy metal ball again and then circled around to slash at the monster's reptilic tail, huffing and groaning with every sword slash. Compared to him, she felt absolutely useless. She could help him target the weak points, sure, but he was doing the real work and the real suffering. And he was just a normal boy that got roped into these problems, it wasn't like he was going to be held accountable for what Zant and his master had done. When things returned to normal, she resolved to have a memorial built to Link in the castle gardens. Let the other high-borns think it hideous, she'd never let her people forget who the real hero was.

After almost ten minutes of slashing at the beast and dodging its ball and chain, Link finally managed to kill it and collect its weapon. Link took the heavy weapon and proceeded to smash suits of armor in the next room, "So like I was saying, everyday through spring and summer it took care of that plant until in late July it started producing tiny pumpkins." Link pushed open the chest in this room, only to reveal a ring of Ordon cheese, "Ok, now this is just getting annoying."

"The ultimate understatement." Midna groaned, "Let's go pester Yeta again, maybe we'll find all five food groups!"

"Yeah, at this rate." Link turned back towards the courtyard, "So at that point in the year I had to make a choice: which pumpkin would I keep? I mean if you let all of them grow none of them would grow very big."Before entering Yeta's hearth yet again Link momentarily concluded this segment, "so, regrettably I snipped off all but two gourds."

Inside Yeta's temporary lodging warmth surrounded ever corner, dispelling the accursed chill clinging to our heroes and making Midna just a touch sleepy. "What happened, uh?" the sickly Yeti woman asked when Link pulled out the roll of traditional Oridonian cheese, "What . . . Cheese? Uh . . . did husband move it?" Midna slapped her forehead as quietly as she could. "Sorry, I need thinking time. Take cheese to husband, uh?" Link nodded and crossed over into the kitchen, itching to tell the rest of his story while simultaneously hoping Yeto wouldn't be so rough on him. Link slowly walked towards the giant-by-even-yeti-standards yeti man as he tended a giant cauldron full of bubbling pumpkin and fish soup, "**Uh, needs . . . more punch, uh. Uh . . . WHAT? GOOD SMELL!**" Link tensed up as the man of the ice turned towards him, "**What you have, uh?**"Link was shoved violently onto the cold metal ground, knocking the cheese from his hands as before with the pumpkin, "**Mmm! Perfect ingredient, Uh!**" Yeto crumbled the cheese into the soup while Link recovered his footing. In return the shaggy giant offered Link some of this "Superb" soup and sent him on his way. With that Link sighed and returned to Yeta, who now pointed him in the direction of where she finally remembered the location of the key: the mansion's chapel. Finally back on his way Link resumed his story, "and all though September the Pumpkins grew, and by September they were this big." He held out his hands in two semi-circled, about as wide around as Midna's head. Using this gesture he picked up another cannonball and dropped it into a contraption that would send it into the next room. "Uh huh, so with all of your work you got a decent payoff."

"Well, yeah, but by October they were only this big: "Link pushed together his hands to form a slightly larger circle, but one no bigger than the outer distance of the Prongs of Midna's helmet, "And Harvestnight generally falls on the last clear night of October." Midna whistled slightly as they entered the next room, which contained a freezard in a cage, "so what did you do?"

"It wasn't an easy choice," Link pulled out the Ball and chain and flung it at the Freezard until it fell to pieces, "but in the end I had to cut off one of the pumpkins so the other could grow bigger." Link climbed up the ramp beside the cage, only to find another Freezard high up, billowing ice as him in a cold fury. He dodged the icy mist and pummeled it into snow, and then proceeded to open a wall of ice, revealing a cannon.

"Things were looking bad Midna; no matter how much I watered it and talked to it my poor little pumpkin wouldn't grow much bigger." Link loaded the cannon and turned it towards a pair of metal boxes before moving towards the other side of the room and into another storage room, "But I didn't give up in the face of hopelessness, because you see, the woods have good spirits in them along with bad ones." Link collected a piece of heart, "it's sort of like the difference between dogs and wolves in some respects." Midna couldn't help but chortle at the irony of Link's statement as he hacked though a Chilfos' spear and eventually its midsection.

"No, I begged them every night to use their forest-magic on my pumpkin, and gave them small offerings of milk. That's what you're supposed to do with forest spirits. Later that month when a big frost came and made a soup out of almost everything else growing at the time, my pumpkin was the only thing left alive." Link had finally returned to the Freezard pens and continued on through a depleted hallway and into a frozen reception room. Here he hacked, smashed, and defeated two Chilfoes and eight mini-freezards before going wolf and attacking an imp Poe. Collecting the ill-gotten soul from the little brute Midna yawned and turned Link back, something that was not lost on Link, "You know, you've been acting sleepy a lot lately."

"What? "Midna slowly registered what he said and shook her head vigorously, "Nah, I'm fine. Anyways, tell me more about your pumpkin."

"All right." In the next room Link had to push aside several metal boxes to hit a switch in the center of an icy floor. As difficult as this was, Link had to solve this puzzle, tell his story to Midna, and work out his worry over her tired condition; it was no wonder the story had so many pauses. "So by October 30, for all of my hard work and for all the help of the forest spirits, my pumpkin was only this big," Link pushed a crate northward down the center of the floor._ She's been out of it like crazy lately._ He pushed another crate west, then north.

"Ilia came by that day, like she always did, but this time she said 'well, I guess that's it. Sorry Link.' And I spent the rest of the day out of it, totally dejected."Link pushed the northernmost crate into an unmoved one _and I bet it's because she's been staying up at night, worrying herself over Zant and her kingdom. She really needs to relax._

"That night I prayed one more time desperately for the forest spirits to help my pumpkin, so I wouldn't be so alone that night." He pushed the final crate towards the center of the room, hitting the switch and unlocking the door.

"Well, the next day, October 31, Harvest night, I go outside," Link entered the outer battlements and hit a Chilfos with a bomb-arrow, "And there's my pumpkin," Link Clawshot up to one of the upper battlements and entered another room, "and it was THIS big." Link held up his hands like before, to about the width of a cannonball, maybe a bit bigger. "Why, it was so big, the stem broke in two!" Midna gave a trademark grin, realizing all too soon what had happened, 'And so what did Ilia say?"

Link smiled as he smashed through several mini-freezards and entered the next room, "That's the best part: she came down the road from Ordon spring star-struck by my pumpkin, all she could say was 'well, I'll be!' before giving me a little hug and wishing me a happy Harvestnight." Midna's smile grew a bit warmer despite a sudden blast of Freezard ice temporarily freezing Link. Link retaliated with the Ball and chain, also seeming warm from the memory, "And so I carved up my pumpkin with the wickedest grin I could muster, lit a spare candle underneath it, and that night I slept without fear from evil spirits." Link pushed aside two crates to reveal they were in the Freezard pens all along, "and so my hard work paid off and my Harvestnight was a blast. So did any of that get though to you?" link lit off the cannon from before and re-entered the outer courtyard from where the ice broke.

"More than you think, also, remind me to thank Ilia for you once we get her memories back." With that Midna slid underneath Link's hat; something she did sometimes when the sleepiness was too much to bear. _Thank Ilia? Did she even understand a word coming out of my mouth?_ Link thought as he loaded another freaking cannon _here I am trying to tell her that our hard work will pay off and that we have good luck on our side, and then she randomly brings up Ilia!_

He indignantly opened the door to the next room, only for a gate to lock him in. Several Chilfoes rose from the floor, arming themselves with shards of ice as Link did the same with the sword of evil's bane. _How did Ilia even factor into that story?_ Link slashed through one of his enemies as he thought this, _All she did was doubt me like Midna doubted the progress we were making and then show up on the last . . ._ The truth came to like (and at the same time as) a Chilfos' spear. _Oh Nayru, I'm such a moron!_

Once Link dispatched the Chilfos he was allowed to enter the next room, which actually held the key to the bedroom and not more food. Midna stirred at this discovery, "Finally, let's get the mirror shard and get out of here, I'm freezing!" Link smiled at the imp as she disappeared back into his shadow. Outside the chapel Yeta was waiting to guide him to the bedroom, but Link hardly needed the help. He ran up the ramp to the room and waited for the yeti, if only for respect. There he worked out his thoughts over what he'd just realized. To get a pumpkin that big meant that Ilia probably spent a fortune, and to sneak it to him like that obviously proved she wanted him to be proud of his hard work. And now thanks to Gannon and/or Zant, she didn't remember it at all. Link swore then and there to stop at nothing to return Ilia's memories, so that he could apologize for being an idiot in earnest. That done with he turned his mind to the next girl that sacrificed needlessly for him: Midna, who was even now sleeping in his shadow. At night she would act as his pumpkin; not really worrying but watching over him. Above all, he owed _her_, not only for guarding him but for listening to his story, realizing what it meant before him and for just being there. Link fished around in his bag of infinite space and pulled out the two things Malo had given him for free last time he visited the shop. The first was an odd little box called a "Camera" which according to the pre-pubesant boy who sold such things could record moving images and sounds in full color. The other was an endorsement for a show called "Friend-swap" hosted by a man named Tom Bergeron. Apparently the show would swap out a friend with another friend for a week to live the first person's life. A vacation, in other words. Link's decision was instantaneous: Midna needed her peaceful Harvestnight, and this would be her pumpkin for it.


	17. King amongst Mariners

**King amongst Mariners**

_{Author's Note: Here is a ballad of our favorite seafaring idiot I wrote some two to three years ago. Back then I had no idea I'd be doing something like this, but that makes it all the more easy to get this tribute done, doesn't it?(Once again the words can be considered lyrics to his theme.)}_

I sail the seas for eternal glory,

And for the rupees there, I'm LI-NE-BECK.

I'm brave, I'm bold, I'm something to behold,

Damsels across the world count on Line-beck.

A quest to save your friend from the ghost ship,

To me, that sounds like suicide,

But they say there's a treasure hidden inside,

So kid let's go get it.

North, South, East, West, a worthy sort of test,

For our Courageous hero LI-NE-BECK.

The salt, the spray, hits the dock where I stay,

Defending her, my boat, SS Linebeck.

It seems your friend has been taken for granite,

No treasure, so I'll take my leave,

Of course, a wish from a god is also tempting,

So I'll keep helping you smucks.

Four-fathom-five, the SS Linebeck lies,

Somehow I'll get you kids out of this mess,

Hero in green, Link thanks for teaching me,

The meaning of that word, now RUN AWAY.

Hey whale, I've made up my mind on my wish,

I want the SS Linebeck back,

Hey Link, we'll meet again in your new kingdom,

Once I've proved my bravery.


	18. Morning Sermon

**Morning Sermon**

_{Author's Note: today thousands of Christians across the world are making a pilgrimage to their local church to have their faith renewed by an earnest preacher. Anyone who's ever played the first Zelda game (Canonically close to the end of the timeline) knows Link probably would have done the same thing had Hyrule not needed saving. I imagine like our version of the religion Hyrulean Christianity has its roots in pagan beliefs, as expressed here.}_

Children, let us be reminded,

Of the graces of the Goddesses,

Turn to the book of seven years, 16:25,

Hhh-hhm, "and thus, when the hour of doom seemed at hand,

And the people of Hyrule lost hope,

The Goddesses sent their savior, in the form of a boy."

"Din give us strength."

"This boy, clothed in the green of Farore's vast fields,

Wielded the blade of evils bane, and sealed the dark one away."

My children, we ourselves wield this blade,

Deep within our hearts.

Let us use this blade of devotion to cast out temptation,

As our savior casted evil out of Hyrule.

"Nayru give us wisdom."

"This boy, using a sacred Ocarina, traveled through time itself,

To seal away the evil threatening the sacred land."

Let that be a reminder that repentance never comes too late!

Just as the Goddesses saved our wondrous kingdom,

So too shall you be saved if you believe in them,

There is no sin to great to separate them from man!

"Farore give us courage!"

This boy, this "Hero of Time" is a proud parable.

Nobody alive today can prove its authenticity,

But his story is a bold faith-renewer.

In these trying times only faith in the Goddesses

Can save our kingdom from newer evils.

So as we have our communion, remember this fairy-legend.

"Goddesses hear our prayers!"


	19. The Inside Days

**The Inside Days.**

_{Author's Note: Due to outside circumstances I'm extending my projected end-date to December 31. In the mean-time, I give you an autobiography of the first time I ever played a Zelda game. Here's to hoping Skyward Sword can deliver on what I felt in this story.}_

Unlike my parents or their parents were raised, my brother and I were strongly encouraged to stay inside at all time, and finding ways to amuse ourselves became a daily challenge. Being two years older than me my brother didn't enjoy my company when he had it (in fact I still think he avoids it when he can), but nonetheless had to endure it while we watched anime or various western cartoons since I did no harm in watching quietly. Videogames were a different story: I'd ask if I could watch, he'd say yes if I stayed quiet, I did, his character would die a few times and he'd growl at me to leave. It didn't help that he mostly played these games in his room; a no man's land, in other words. At that age the only game he'd allow me to play was Animal Crossing, a very safe, but sometimes very tedious game. From my observations with Brad other games just caused confusion and frustration as you watched your character die again and again and then took your frustration out on the nearest stable surface one can shout at. But then I walked in on him playing a game slightly different than the others, namely a Zelda game.

I was getting used to getting kicked out so when he allowed me to come into his room I decided a bit of quick ribbing was in order. I looked at the screen of his nineties-born TV and quickly took in the graphics of the game: young boy, standing on a floating stone block, holding a sword and a shield. My brother, as ironic as it seemed at the time, was playing a classical hero. The snark came to me faster than lightning, "Hey hero, who are you going to save today?"

"My sister." He replied without a trace of irony or annoyance. Well at the time the concept of programming and Non-playable characters was very new to me, so by sister I thought he was referring directly to me. Who was this boy who occupied my brother's room and played his games and why would he want to protect and save me, I wondered?

Brad apparently noticed my shock and amended his comment, "Well, my sister in-game." Then he went off into some nonsense about another game with his uncle in it while I let this sink in: a game where you save your sister, and my brother, of all people, liked it? I studied the screen carefully as Brad's character trudged through a golden dungeon with traps and puzzles and a few monsters, all the while he remained calm and allowed me to stay. Two boss fights, some sailing, some pirates and the aforementioned sister later I was sold, "Brad, can I play this game when you're done with it?" I sweetly asked, ready to say please repeatedly until he caved if he said no. to my immediate surprise he said, "alright, but AFTER we move the Gamecube down stairs." I could hardly believe my ears. I uttered a quick thanks and left for my room.

Not long after The Gamecube was moved to the downstairs "guest" bedroom (where Mom would never leave a guest for even one night) along with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, its box and a game guide; all seemingly made of gold. To contrast I sat in a filthy room in a warn chair in front of an old TV, a warn-down temple with a splash of gold inside it. I popped it into the Gamecube and flipped open the game guide to the first page of the walkthrough, determined to play this game by the book. The Gamecube went through its usual opening without incident; and then, The Wind Waker's title screen. I don't remember if I watched the whole thing enthralled or if I pressed Start immediately in anticipation, but regardless it left me excited. It then moved into the loading screen, complete with patient music I would later recognize as the theme of Fairy Fountains. I skipped down one beneath my brother's file and selected a new game, with nothing to show for but three hearts and an empty name slot. After pondering it for a few moments, I chose to name the file (And by proxy, the character) Hercules, to give this game of heroes a historical (to me) hero. At last, after entering the name and choosing yes to the optional rumble setting (You can't play a game like this without feeling it, it goes against principle!), my adventure began.

"This is but one of the legends of which the people speak." The prologue glowed in white on the screen. "Aww yeah," I thought reading out the rest in a dramatic voice as it appeared on screen with simple woodcuts, "Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace. But then a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself . . ." From there you get the picture: I was headed straight for adventure.

It then launched into a quiet island called Outset where Hercules lived with his sister, Aryll, and his Grandma. I found it difficult to identify with Hercules at first, being the youngest sister in a two-child home, but in time wished I really did have a younger sister I could protect and teach. However, I had no problems identifying with Tetra, the fearless female pirate-captain whom Hercules has to save early on when she was dropped unconscious in a dense forest by a giant bird. I grabbed a sword and rushed off to save her, only to be rewarded with snide indifference and Aryll being kidnapped by the same giant bird. This in turn led to Hercules begging Tetra to take him to the bird's evil lair: The Forsaken Fortress. She begrudgingly agreed, and the true adventure began.

By the time I finally saved and quit (Sometime between Windfall and Dragon Roost Cavern), it was apparent I was being immersed in Hyrulean culture, ethics, and mythology. I would play long into the night, at least one temple at a time, defeating Bird and Beast and whatever else the land had to throw at me. Then the time came to save Princess Zelda (who was actually Tetra the whole time,) and defeat the ultimate enemy of Hyrule and the Great Sea alike: Ganondorf. To mentally prepare myself, I hid in the oversized doorway closet with the game guide and a flashlight and read the battle strategy for defeating the dark wizard as if preparing for a good Quiddich match. I was, in fact, a nerd.

Then, on New Year's Eve, 2006, the ultimate battle began. Zelda would fire light arrows at Ganondorf while I slashed at him with The Master sword, the blade of Evil's Bane. Ganon fought back ferociously, he even managed to temporarily knock out Princess Zelda. That didn't sit well with me at all. I launched at him with everything I had, and even after she recovered my fighting kept it's fearsome pace until The Master sword struck its final blow, right in his skull. He tuned to stone and the Sea collapsed onto ancient Hyrule, Zelda and I barely escaped to the surface. Tetra's ship, with her entire crew and the Wind and Earth Sages for good measure, were there waiting. The credits rolled, showing bubbles with all the friends I had made during my quest floating to the top of the screen idly. But the stinger was what got me: we were on the coast of Outset, the entire village, Aryll included, wishing us off. Tetra and her crew were in their giant boat, and I was in my tiny and now lifeless boat (its spirit had perished in the flood), The King of Red lions. "Hoist the mainsail, raise the anchor, and as for our destination . . ." Tetra commanded her crew before turning and winking to me charmingly, "We'll go where the wind takes us!" As we sailed away, the Triforce, the ultimate power bestowed by the Goddesses to man (By the programmers to Hercules, Zelda and Gannon), scattered to the four winds, reminding us that our Legend had reached its end.

Years passed, and in that time I went on to play The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and I'm looking forward to playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which will explain the origin of the Master Sword, the origin of Zelda, and even where Hyrule comes from. In that time I began to find my vocation in life: Video Game Programming and design. One day it is my hope that I can develop more wonderful stories like Wind Waker and the others, and to this end I will not rest until I work on the Zelda team in Kyoto, Japan.

I also believe the Zelda series has taught me other things, like how to be brave in the face of danger, to never give up until your quest is over, to never turn away a cry for help and most importantly: Never look back, just keep going on 'til the end. I truly thank my brother for being so kind to me that day, instead of shutting me out yet again.


	20. My Apprentice

**My Apprentice**

_{Author's Note: I've never finished the Minish cap; I admit this with much shame. Still, I need a poem, and I know enough about Ezlo to create something. This is an iambic pentameter, a poem-type older than Shakespeare that works today as well as it did back then.}_

He came to me, one stormy night, a boy

With brilliant red eyes, innocent smile,

He wanted magic, powerful stuff, mine,

I took him in, and raised him like a son,

My apprentice, Vaati, hungered for fame.

I never foresaw him betraying me,

Stealing my power, giving me a curse,

Part hat, part bird, no minish to speak of.

He left me deep in wilderness, to die,

I surely would have, had Link not been there.

He needed guidance, so I hitched a ride,

Together we chased my rogue apprentice,

A princess had been turned to stone, he said,

He had to save her; she was his best friend,

And if I'd get my body back, I'd help.

We traveled the wide world in search of him,

When needed, Minish portals would shrink Link

I would push him quite hard in either form,

To find the sacred elements before

Hyrule castle was shrouded in darkness.

Taking the Four-Sword in hand, Link set out,

To defeat Vaati and save Zelda's life,

And thus My Apprentice was defeated.

And though Link and I are two worlds apart

His memory remains, an emerald Saint.


End file.
